


The End is Nigh

by RaphaelComet



Series: Simpler Times [1]
Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Anthro, Anthropomorphic, F/M, Furry, High School, Suicide, Survival, Undead, Zombies, zombie outbreak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 46,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaphaelComet/pseuds/RaphaelComet
Summary: Raphael Comet is just a normal high-school student going about his daily routine at Prodigy Academy Centre Ridge. It all changed when he and his fellow classmates find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Now, Raphael and his friends must fight to survive lest they find themselves part of the ever-growing zombie horde.
Relationships: Carolyn Ren & Hanzo Takahashi, Kari Luft/Kyle Straatmore, Raphael Comet/Amy Nagase, Susan Stevens & Haruhi Okane, Susan Stevens/Haruhi Okane
Series: Simpler Times [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822078





	1. Academy of the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on characters from my Simpler Times project which I wrote way back while I was still in school. A lot of it is old and in dire need of updating, so most of it won’t be posted for a while. This was done for funsies and is considered non-canon in my series.
> 
> All characters are my OCs.
> 
> * **NOTICE** * Story has graphic scenes of violence throughout.  
> * **NOTICE** * Chapter 3 has brief references to teen sex.  
> * **NOTICE** * Chapter 6 has brief references to rape.
> 
> =Character Species Reference=  
> -Raphael = Red Fox  
> -Amy = Red Fox  
> -Susan = Wolf  
> -Haruhi = Cat/Dog Hybrid  
> -Jesse = Bunny  
> -Steven = Wolf  
> -Yumi = Panther  
> -Kyle = Coyote  
> -Kari = Kit Fox  
> -Carolyn = Jackal  
> -Hanzo = Wolf  
> -Devan = Jackal
> 
> Reposted from my FanFiction page:

“Wake up, Raph. You’re dozing off,” said Amy, nudging him awake with her elbow.

Raphael raised his head from his desk and looked around in a near stupor. “Huh, wha?” he asked.

“C’mon. We gotta finish this before the end of class,” said Amy as she gave him an annoyed look.

Raphael shook off his drowsiness and directed his attention back to his pad on his desk. “Right. Where were we?” he asked. As he began working again, Susan came over to them and sat down.

“Hey, did you hear the news?” asked Susan as she leaned closer to them.

“What? The accident at that R&D facility? I heard about it,” said Amy without diverting her gaze from her work.

“Yeah, but did you hear that they are sending some special unit to investigate it? I was coming back from the bathroom when I heard a couple instructors talking about it,” said Susan.

“What kind of _special unit_?” asked Amy.

“I do not know. They did not say,” said Susan.

“What do they need a special unit for, anyway? It was just a gas leak, wasn’t it?” asked Raphael.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps stampeding down the hallway as a student sprinted passed their room, shouting indiscriminately as they ran. Everyone in the classroom momentarily stopped what they were doing to look to the doorway. Instructor Richards got up from his desk and went to see what was going on.

“Stay seated and continue your work,” said Instructor Richards before leaving the classroom.

Raphael and the others continued their conversation. “Do you think the explosion caused any serious damage?” asked Susan, directing her attention back to Raphael and Amy.

“Who knows? They didn’t say much on the news,” said Amy.

“Do you think it has something to do with all the sick prodigies? I mean, it is not even flu season and a large number of us have been missing from school since the accident,” said Susan.

“What’s with all the questions? I have no idea, Susan. I think you’ve been watching too many movies,” said Amy.

As they were talking, the building’s PA system came on as they started hearing an announcement. “Prodigy Noland, please report to the front office. Your father is here to pick you up. Prodigy Noland to the front office,” said the voice over the intercom.

“Dang, that’s the fifth time today. Where are all these guys going, anyway? Vacation?” said Trey, one of the students in Raphael’s work group.

“Pssh… who cares?” said Amy, growing more irritated that her group was deviating from their work.

Susan stopped and thought for a moment, staring down at her desk. “Wait- could it be?” she said to herself under her breath.

Raphael looked over at her, concerned by her troubled expression. “What’s the matter, Susan?” he asked.

Susan broke off from her daze and turned to him and Amy. “Guys, I think I am on to something. You know all the prodigies that left earlier today?” she asked.

Amy sighed and put down her pen. “Yeah. And?” she asked.

“Well, at least one of their parents is a very high-ranking officer, a colonel or general,” said Susan.

Amy furrowed her brow. “So?” she asked.

“So what is really intriguing is that the high-ranking parent also happens to be part of the Research and Development Department,” said Susan.

“Okay… so where are you going with this?” asked Amy.

“Do you not see? Those high-ranking parents of theirs probably know something about the ‘ _accident_ ’ that those of us outside the R&D are not aware of… yet, anyway. It must be serious if they are pulling their children out from school like that,” said Susan.

All of a sudden, the loudspeakers from Huntington Air Force Base began blaring a warning siren followed by a general announcement. “Emergency. All personnel, report to your stations. I repeat. Emergency. All personnel- report to your stations. Code Black. Security personnel, standby for deployment orders,” said the voice over the loudspeakers.

Once the message repeated, Susan turned to Amy with a smug look. “Now do you believe me?” she asked.

As the base-wide announcement continued to blare, one of the principals got on the campus-wide intercom to address the prodigies. “Attention, Centre Ridge Academy. Do not panic. I repeat. Remain calm. Instructors, initiate Lockdown procedures immediately. Await further instructions. Security, wait for- Hey! They’re breaking through! Captain, secure that door! What are you waiting for-” he said before the line went dead, a final screech being heard as the principal knocked over the microphone.

Everyone in Raphael’s classroom looked at each other with confused looks. Once they heard gunfire in the distance, they all scrambled out of their seats and headed over to the window, raising the blinds. They all gasped as they saw explosions and large fires from the adjacent Air Force base. From their floor, they couldn’t see much, barely being able to see just over the campus perimeter wall.

“What do we do!?” asked one of the prodigies in Raphael’s class.

“Are we under attack!?” asked another prodigy.

“Now everyone stay calm,” said the highest-ranking prodigy in the room. The other prodigies looked away from the window and directed their attention to him. “We need to stay calm and focus. We’re prodigies of the Virgo Tetrian military, are we not?” His classmates nodded and regained their bearing, listening intently to what he had to say. “Our first order of business is to close the door and secure it. Then we’ll find out what’s happening on the outside.”

“But Instructor Richards isn’t back yet. Shouldn’t we wait for him to return?” asked Raphael.

“Fine. Comet, you take a team and find Instructor Richards. Report back in five. If you’re not back by then, seek shelter elsewhere because we’re closing the door whether you’re back here or not,” said the prodigy taking command.

Raphael nodded and took Amy, Susan, and Trey with him to find their instructor. He peeked out of the classroom and looked back and forth to see if anyone else was around. The hallway was empty, so he and his team made their way out and headed in the direction Instructor Richards went.

As they were walking, Amy thought she heard screaming coming from outside. “Hey, did you hear that?” she asked. She and the others continued down the hallway and looked out a window overlooking the center of the campus.

To their horror, they saw prodigies running for their lives all around the center courtyard. Freshmen who weren’t in class were panicking all over the place, unsure of what was happening. Instructors and campus security were running amidst the chaos, trying to restrain prodigies who had become violently belligerent. Raphael and the others thought they even saw prodigies biting each other as swarms of them slowly grabbed on to someone, dragging them to the ground. As they were watching, they heard an emergency siren in the distance, gradually growing louder and louder. Before they could spot the source of the noise, an ambulance ran straight through the front gate, rolling onto its side as it plowed through a group of prodigies huddled around the one they dragged down.

“What the heck is going on?” asked Trey after witnessing the crash. Before he could say another word, he was tackled to the ground by a larger, unknown assailant. Raphael, Amy, and Susan moved back from the window as he came falling to the ground. Trey tried to push the man off him, but received a fatal bite to the neck with the man’s teeth piercing his jugular.

“Trey!” said Raphael after finally realizing what was happening.

Amy acted without hesitation and moved behind the attacker, placing her arms around his neck to subdue him in a headlock. As she tried to get the man off of him, the attacker bit her arm, unaffected by the grapple. She let go of the person and moved away while gripping her wound. “The guy bit me!” she said.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Trey lay motionless on the ground after having bled out from his wound. Raphael and the others looked to him then to the assailant. Once the man stood up, they all recognized him instantly.

“Instructor Richards?” asked Susan in shock.

Their instructor gave them a blank expression and groaned as he set his sights on Susan. Before he could lunge at her, Raphael kicked him back with a sidekick then finished him off with a roundhouse kick to the head, knocking him to the ground. He then turned to Amy and rushed to her aid.

“Amy! Are you okay?” asked Raphael with a concerned look.

Amy took off her bandanna and wrapped it around her bite, wincing as she tightened it around her arm. “I’m fine. I’ve got it under control… for now. Check Trey,” she said.

Raphael bent down by his fellow classmate who was already lying in a pool of his own blood. He didn’t think he was alive, but checked his pulse anyway and placed two fingers to his neck. He shook his head and stood up. “He’s gone,” he said.

“Just what the heck is going on!?” asked Susan, completely flustered with regards to the situation they were in. She was usually the calm one of the group, but after what she had just witnessed, she couldn’t help but feel a bit panicked.

“I hate to say it, but… I think this is a zombie outbreak,” said Raphael.

Amy walked over to him with an unconvinced look, still holding her arm. “A zombie outbreak. Really? There’s got to be a more reasonable explanation for-” she said, but before she could finish her sentence, Susan interjected.

“For the bite victims? The Code Black warning? The incident at the R&D building? For what happened to Trey and Instructor Richards! This _is_ a zombie outbreak, Amy,” said Susan. Immediately after she said that, a cruel reality crossed her mind. “And you have been bitten…” Susan started to back away from her and moved next to Raphael, pointing at her. “She is going to turn! She is going to become one of them- a zombie!”

“If I were going to become one of them, I would’ve done so already… right?” asked Amy with an increasing feeling of apprehension.

Susan had a fearful look on her face as Amy started coughing up blood. “I do not know. This is unprecedented,” she said as she remained by Raphael’s side.

Looking up, Amy shakily pointed behind Raphael and Susan. The two of them quickly turned around and saw four zombies shambling towards them.

“C’mon, we- we can take them,” said Amy as she wiped her mouth.

“Not in your condition. C’mon, let’s move before we’re overrun,” said Raphael as he started walking in the opposite direction, taking Amy by the hand.

As they began walking off, Susan didn’t follow and refused to move. “There is no way I am going with her! She has been bitten. I am sorry I’m acting this way, Amy, but you might end up killing me if I stay with you,” she said.

“You’re _going_ to die now by the zombies behind you if you don’t move!” said Raphael.

Susan cringed as she saw Instructor Richards start to move on the ground next to her. She shook her head then hurried behind Raphael. Together, they rushed down the hallway and made their way for the staircase.

“Why are going this way? Should we not get help?” asked Susan.

“I’m betting those zombies can’t go up stairs, so we should be safe on the upper floors,” said Raphael.

“What about the others?” asked Susan.

“They’ll be fine. They probably already barricaded the door by now,” said Raphael.

“I mean our friends. Do you think they are okay?” asked Susan.

Once they reached the top of the stairs and moved onto the next floor, they stopped for a breather to plan their next move. Before leaving the staircase, Raphael looked behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed. Thankfully, his assessment of the situation was correct and the zombies weren’t able to climb the stairs to follow after them.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should try giving them a call,” said Raphael. He and Susan took out their phones and tried calling their friends only to hear the dull tone of a dead line. “No good. The lines have been commandeered by emergency services,” he said.

After pocketing their phones, they heard banging and screaming coming from a nearby classroom. They looked at each other with trepidation then slowly made their way over to the source of the noise. Once they looked through the door’s window, Amy broke away and headed straight for the bathroom, gagging from the repulsive sight in the room. Raphael and Susan stayed behind, dumbstruck by what they were witnessing. There were zombies devouring fellow prodigies inside, blood splattered all over the room. They figured that there were around twenty-five prodigies in there, all of which were already turned, in the process of turning, or dead.

After Amy wet her lips at the water fountain, she stumbled into the bathroom, feeling sick to her stomach. She hurried to the sink and vomited, rinsing her mouth and face afterwards. “I’m going… to die,” she said to herself. She let the words echo in her head as she broke down in tears, collapsing to the floor. When she finally pulled herself together, she got up and opened one of the stalls to relieve herself. As the door opened, a zombie popped out and charged at her. She cursed out loud as she forcefully slammed the door in its face. Once the zombie was on the floor, she hurried over and stomped its head into the ground with her foot. Looking at the sight of the dead corpse at her feet, she started sobbing again, realizing that she was soon going to turn out the same way.

Starting to feel ill from watching the mutilation of their classmates, Raphael and Susan went off to find Amy. When they passed by the bathrooms, Amy came out, drying her tears with her sleeves.

“Are you okay?” asked Raphael.

Unsure of how to react, whether out of frustration or thankfulness, she just looked down with a mute expression. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. A water drop fell on the tip of her nose, then another on her head. Before she could look up, the sprinkler system activated, drenching the three of them. The building’s fire alarm activated, beeping and blinking throughout the hallways.

“Why is the fire alarm on?” asked Susan.

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s an actual fire somewhere,” said Raphael, wiping the water from his face with his jacket’s sleeve. A mechanical buzz filled the hallways as all the doors to the classrooms suddenly unlocked and opened.

“Why did all the doors open all of a sudden?” asked Amy as she watched all the doors swing open.

“It is the fire alarm. Once it is triggered, it overrides the locks and opens all the doors to make evacuation easier,” said Susan.

Raphael was looking at all the open doors and saw blood flow out from more than one of them, the water from the sprinklers washing it all into the hallway. “We need to move, now,” he said with a stern voice. He then took Amy and Susan and led them to another staircase, one that was off to the side and away from the main one.

“Raph! Why are we going up!? Shouldn’t we be going down to get help?” asked Susan as she tried to keep up with him.

“If we went down, we would get caught in the large influx of students and staff, both dead and alive. We need to head up and away from everyone to assess the situation before we make a move out of here,” said Raphael, keeping alert of the open doors.

As they opened the door to the top floor, they all stopped before proceeding any further. The hallways were filled with panicking students trying to get to the main staircase, pushing each other out of the way as they trampled over those who had already fallen. Amongst the crowd, zombies continued to increase in number, catching unsuspecting students off guard. The instructors tried to fight their way to the staircase, but one after another, they succumbed to the horde and were devoured by the reanimated dead. When Raphael and the others walked onto the floor, one of the students was fiercely fighting against the zombies, protecting the group’s rear from them.

After bashing a zombie’s head in with a blunt object, the fighting prodigy noticed Raphael and the others watching her. “Susan?” she asked.

“Haruhi?” said the three of them together, surprised to see her covered in blood and wielding a weapon.

Once Haruhi spotted them, so did other students. “The other staircase! Everyone, head to the side staircase!” said one of the prodigies, pointing in Raphael’s and the others’ direction.

“Oh, shi- Move! Into the classroom!” said Raphael, leading Amy and Susan into a nearby room. Haruhi hurried over towards the room and joined them. The rest of the students swarmed the staircase, attracting zombies as they flooded down the stairs to escape.

Once the group of students was in the stairwell, one of the instructors stopped by the classroom where Raphael and the others took cover. “What are you still doing here? Follow us to the ground floor. We’re evacuating the campus and heading to the base,” he said. While he was focused on getting Raphael’s group to move, a zombie grabbed him from behind and dug its teeth into his neck.

“Close the door!” said Susan.

“I can’t! It’s the fire alarm! It’s controlling the doors!” said Raphael.

The zombie wrestled the instructor to the ground and continued to feast on his flesh. Raphael was about to kick the zombie off him, but Haruhi intervened first and smashed the zombie’s skull in with her weapon. As she did that, more zombies started to approach, prompting the group to relocate to a more protected position.

“Where do we go now!?” asked Susan.

“We can’t go forward. There’s too many of them. And if we go back down the stairs, we’re bound to encounter more of them on the lower floors,” said Amy.

Haruhi looked around, trying to find a place where they could go. She then spotted a door in the room there were in that led to another area. “The lab! The lab’s doors aren’t connected to the security system,” she said. She and the others retreated into the classroom and went into the adjacent lab, closing the door behind them.

“That should hold them,” said Raphael, making sure the door was closed. Once everything was secure, the group started to relax and had a chance to catch their breath.

Finally able to get a hold of herself, Susan looked over to Haruhi with a relieved smile. “Haruhi!” she said, overcome with joy as she ran over to embrace her sister. “I am so happy that you are alive!”

“Yeah, me too, Sis. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Richards’ class on the first floor?” asked Haruhi.

“I was. But things happened and this and that, so we ended up here,” said Susan, stepping back to get a better look at her.

“Okay, but this is some crazy stuff, right? Who would’ve thought I would actually get to use this thing in a zombie outbreak?” said Haruhi as she showed off her makeshift weapon.

“You have no idea. By the way, what is that?” asked Susan, pointing to the object Haruhi was wielding.

“This? It’s part of a paper cutter I requisitioned from the teacher work room. It’s actually pretty good at killing zombies,” said Haruhi, giving it a good swing.

“Have you seen anyone else?” asked Raphael.

Haruhi looked away, fiddling with her weapon. “No. Well… yes,” she said.

“Who?” asked Susan.

“One of the Z Brothers. Zaku,” said Haruhi.

“You sure it was him?” asked Raphael.

“…yeah. I’m the one who killed him after he turned,” said Haruhi with a solemn tone. There was a feeling of uneasiness between the four of them after hearing the news.

“I’m sorry, Haruhi. It must’ve been hard to do that,” said Susan as she hugged her sister again.

“It’s fine. Hey, Amy’s bleeding. Is she all right?” asked Haruhi after noticing Amy’s wound on her arm.

“She was bitten on our way up here,” said Susan.

Haruhi gripped her weapon and readied it to strike. “Then she needs to be taken care of! She could turn at any moment, just like everyone else!” she said. She was about to swing, but Raphael and Susan intervened. Susan grabbed Haruhi and restrained her while Raphael moved between her and Amy.

“Hey, I’m still alive here, you know? Don’t be so eager to kill me just yet,” said Amy before coughing up more blood into her hand.

Haruhi realized what she was doing and lowered her weapon. “I’m sorry, Amy. I’ve just seen too many people die because they failed to act sooner. It’s nothing personal,” she said.

“It’s all right, Haruhi. I’m sure you meant nothing by it,” said Amy.

“So now what? We’re stuck here on the top floor with a horde of zombies running rampant all over campus,” said Haruhi.

“It is more than that, Haruhi. Did you not hear? A Code Black alert has been issued and Huntington has been put on standby. We heard gunfire and explosions coming from the base. For all we know, this outbreak could have spread to the base and even the city,” said Susan.

“What’s a Code Black alert anyway?” asked Amy.

“It signifies what kind of emergency is taking place. In this case, it is a Black Alert, meaning a serious biological threat has been identified,” said Susan.

“So again, I ask. What are we going to do? We can’t stay here. We have no supplies and there’s a ticking time-bomb right next to us… no offense,” said Haruhi as she looked to Amy.

Raphael paced around the room, thinking their situation through before taking a seat. “I don’t know. Where can we go? How are we going to get there?” he asked, running a hand through his hair as he came to a dead end in his thoughts.

They all stood around with their hands in their pockets, unsure of what to do next. Amy’s condition started to worsen as she began coughing more frequently and with increasing intensity. Raphael walked over to Amy and tried to console her.

“Just hang in there, Honey. We’ll find help,” said Raphael as he put his arm around Amy.

Amy put her arm around him as well, snuggling up close to him with tears running down her cheeks. “Thanks, Raph,” she said.

They waited in the room together for around fifteen minutes before they heard something other than the moans of the zombies. It sounded like it was coming from within their building rather than off in the distance outside.

“Hey, do you hear that? It sounds like gun shots,” said Susan.

“It’s probably coming from next door,” said Haruhi, sitting on the floor with her back against a desk.

“No. It sounds like it is coming from inside the building, this floor actually,” said Susan. She then stood up and went to the door, placing her head near it. “Those are definitely gunshots.”

“What should we do?” asked Haruhi.

They all turned to Raphael, waiting for him to say something. “What? What are you looking at me for?” he asked, looking just as clueless as the rest of them.

“What should we do?” asked Susan.

Raphael looked around and thought it over. “If they’ve got guns, we can get out of here. They can protect us,” he said.

“So s-should we go out t-to them?” asked Amy, shivering from the loss of blood and her soaked clothes.

Raphael exhaled and finally made a decision. “Let’s get a move on. They might not find us cooped up in here,” he said.

After no one else gave an alternate solution, everyone stood up and readied themselves to move out. Raphael found a large, metallic meter stick to use as a weapon and acted as the vanguard with Haruhi, still wielding her paper cutter blade. Susan was going to help Amy walk and stayed behind them.

“Ready when you are, Raph,” said Susan as she held on to Amy, despite her previous reservations about traveling with an infected person.

“On the count of three, I’m opening the door. Haruhi, you rush through and take out the first zombie. I’ll move in and get the second one to your right. Afterwards, we’ll just hack and slash our way into the hall. Got it?” said Raphael, making sure his group was prepared to move out.

Haruhi nodded and prepared to charge in at the zombies. When Raphael counted down, she stormed into the room and hacked at the first zombie, nearly decapitating him with a well-placed strike to the neck. After she made her move, Raphael moved in and smacked the second zombie in the head, finishing it with a solid sidekick as he knocked it away from him. They cleared the way through the classroom, taking out all hostiles in their path, and made their way forward towards the exit. Susan and Amy kept pace and followed closely behind them, keeping mindful of the zombies on the floor just in case they weren’t fully dead. When the room was clear, Raphael and Haruhi secured the hallway.

“All clear,” said Haruhi as she glanced around the area.

“Okay. They shouldn’t be far,” said Raphael after hearing a couple more shots from down the hall. They quickly made their way to the source, turning the corner into the main hallway. As they did, Raphael was greeted with a pistol barrel in his face.

“Wait! Hold your fire.”

The person with the pistol lowered his gun and stepped aside. Once he moved out of the way, Raphael and the others were relieved as they recognized several members of the group firing the guns.

“Instructor Ren? Instructor Takahashi? Debbie! I mean, Instructor Airre. Thank goodness you’re all alive,” said Raphael, thankful that they were able to meet up with dependable people.

“Prodigy Comet. It’s good to see that someone made it. Are there others?” asked Carolyn as she moved in front of her group. Along with her, Han, and Debbie, there were a few members of campus security and a few prodigies as well, all armed with weapons.

“Just a few of us. Prodigies Nagase, Stevens, and Okane are with me, ma’am,” said Raphael. The others from his group came out from behind him and moved into the open.

Carolyn immediately noticed Amy’s wound when she came into view. “Prodigy Nagase. Was she bitten?” she asked.

Raphael hesitated to speak at first, but finally managed to respond. “Yes, she was bitten when we were attacked by Instructor Richards,” he said with a grim expression.

“Goby… was infected?” asked Carolyn.

“Yes, ma’am. We don’t know what happened to him after we fled up here,” said Raphael.

Carolyn stood there for a moment, paralyzed with grief from the news. She turned her back to him, trying to hold back her tears. “That’s unfortunate to hear. How long ago was Prodigy Nagase bitten?” she then said without hesitation.

“About an hour ago, ma’am,” said Raphael.

“That’s rather peculiar. Most of the others we encountered, after having been bit, turned in just a matter of minutes. How did she survive so long after being bitten?” asked Carolyn.

“I don’t know, ma’am,” said Raphael.

“Doesn’t matter. Either way, we need to restrain her. Berner, cuff her,” said Carolyn.

One of the security guards stepped forward, but Raphael stepped in front of him. “Ma’am, is that really necessary?” he asked, trying to save Amy from any more discomfort.

Carolyn turned around and faced him. “I could just shoot her now and get it over with. Would you rather me do that?” she asked, her tone cold and unyielding.

Raphael sneered at her as he glanced away. “No, ma’am. But could you at least treat her wound. Her condition is getting worse,” he said.

“Fine. Capps, see what you can do,” said Carolyn.

“Thank you, ma’am,” said Raphael before stepping aside for the security guards. Capps treated her wound and cleaned it up to the best of her ability before Berner handcuffed her.

“What are you doing up here anyway, ma’am? Shouldn’t you all be evacuating or something?” asked Haruhi.

“What evacuation? There is no rescue. We already stopped by the main office to receive further orders, but we found most of the command staff zombified. Our communications are being jammed and there is no way to contact the outside. We are on our own, boys and girls. We’re rounding up all the survivors we can to form Sweep Teams to retake the academy. Once we clear the campus, we plan on securing the perimeter and holding out as long as we can. There’s plenty of supplies already here to last a while, so there’s no need to leave quite just yet if there’s nothing left out there,” said Carolyn.

“If you’re done chit-chatting, Carolyn, we have a campus to take back. Comet, you and the others better follow us if you want to make it to tomorrow,” said Han.

Han and Carolyn returned to the head of their group along with the security guards. As Raphael and his group moved to join the larger one, one of the prodigies from the new group walked up to them.

“Raph! Guys! You’re still alive?” asked the prodigy.

“Steven! You made it!” said Raphael, glad to see another familiar face.

“So far. Is this all of you?” asked Steven.

“Yeah. We didn’t see anyone else. Have you?” asked Raphael.

Steven shook his head, worried about the rest of their friends. “I hope the others are okay,” he said.

“Yeah, me too,” said Susan as they continued to talk, walking along with Carolyn’s Sweep Team.

While they were making their way down the main hallway, Raphael saw something in the courtyard after passing a window. “Instructor Ren! You better have a look at this!” he said. Everyone stopped and hurried over to him, leaving room for Carolyn to make her way to the window with Raphael.

“What is it, Comet?” asked Carolyn.

Raphael pointed outside the window and directed Carolyn’s attention to a group of people fighting their way to the front gate. The group consisted of ten prodigies led by an instructor and only a few of them had melee weapons to defend themselves.

“What the heck do they think they’re doing?” asked Carolyn with a sneer in her tone.

“Hey, I think that’s Z and Zander with them,” said Haruhi as she looked out with them.

“No way. They wouldn’t recklessly go out there like that,” said Amy, wincing from the increasing pain due to her wound.

“No, that is them all right,” said Susan.

The group in the center courtyard was moving at a steady pace until one of the prodigies tripped and fell. The instructor and a majority of the prodigies stopped to help the downed student, forming a defensive circle around her. A few of the students didn’t stop running and made it to the front gate, only to find that it was blocked by a burning vehicle. They tried climbing over it, but were dragged back down by zombies who caught a hold of their tails. The other people from the group were slowly surrounded by the mass amounts of zombies that had emerged from the buildings.

“We need to help them!” said one of the prodigies watching from the window.

“We can’t help them. By the time we get down there, they’ll already be dead and part of the zombie horde,” said Carolyn, her eyes fixated on the group fighting for their lives down below.

“But we can get there if we hurry,” said the prodigy.

“If we leave now and rush through the building without properly clearing it, we’ll not only lose those outside, but likely most of us as well,” said Carolyn as she turned towards the prodigy with a firm glare.

“So you’re just going to leave them out there to die?” asked the prodigy, appalled that they were just going to let them die.

Carolyn sighed, returning her gaze back towards the scene unfolding through the window. “There’s nothing we can do,” she said.

“That’s insane! I’m going to help them, with or without your help. Those of you who want to come, follow me!” said the prodigy as he ran off to try and save his fellow classmates outside, persuading most of the other prodigies from Carolyn’s group to go with him.

Carolyn cursed under her breath and turned to the other adults. “Debbie, bring those brats back. Take Capps, Darr, and Berner with you,” she said.

Debbie acknowledged her, taking the rest of the security force in the group with her in pursuit of the prodigies. The only ones left by the window were Carolyn, Han, Raphael, Susan, Haruhi, Amy, and Steven. As they continued to watch from the window, the zombie horde eventually took over the group outside, slaughtering everyone including Z and Zander. Susan and Amy looked away from the grisly scene after seeing people they knew get devoured by the undead masses.

“Still think we can retake the campus, ma’am?” asked Raphael, turning to Carolyn with a concerned look.

Carolyn looked away from the window and the group, crossing her arms over her chest. “No. It seems things have gotten more out of hand than I thought,” she said in defeat.

“So what now, Carolyn?” asked Han, moving beside her.

Walking away from the group, Carolyn stopped and contemplated what to do in her head. She then motioned for Han to come over to her to discuss their next move. As they were talking, Raphael felt relieved that he was no longer “in-charge”. It was reassuring to him that someone else, someone older and with more experience, was leading them; though, in their current situation, anything could happen regardless of who was leading the group. After discussing things through, Carolyn and Han returned to the prodigies.

“What’s the verdict, ma’am?” asked Steven.

“We’re going to continue searching for survivors then get out of here,” said Carolyn.

“Get out of here? How do you plan do that, ma’am? The front gate is blocked,” said Susan.

Carolyn walked past the group then turned on a heel to face them. “Simple. We drive out,” she said, her arms crossed back over her chest.

Haruhi and Susan turned to each other, thinking that she didn’t hear her correctly. “Uh, what?” asked Haruhi.

Carolyn furrowed a brow then continued her explanation of her plan. “You look troubled. But you assume that I plan on going through the front gate, correct?” she asked.

Haruhi nodded as that was exactly what she was thinking. “Yeah,” she said.

“Well, there is more than one exit on campus, you know. In Building B, there are garages on the first floor that students use to learn about ground vehicles and such. If I’m correct, there’s bound to be something there we can use to drive out of here. The garage leads directly off campus and onto a nearby street. From there, we’ll head into Huntington to see if we can regroup with other survivors, hopefully better equipped survivors,” said Carolyn.

The prodigies talked amongst themselves, realizing it was better than staying at the overrun academy. As they were talking, Debbie and the others returned bearing bad news. Only Capps and Darr from the security force made it back alive; none of the prodigies that left to save the group in the courtyard returned with them.

“What happened, Debbie?” asked Carolyn, walking over to her to help with one of the injured.

“We ran after the prodigies, but got bogged down with zombies on the third floor. Darr tripped over a zombie and fell down the stairs, breaking his leg. Fortunately enough, he wasn’t bitten. After we took care of the remaining zombies, we caught up with them on the first floor, but they were surrounded by the time we got there. On the way back up, Berner covered our retreat so we could escape, but he didn’t make it,” said Debbie as she took a moment to reload her sidearm.

Carolyn gritted her teeth, disturbed that all those prodigies died while under her command. The stress and frustration from the day’s events were taking its toll on her as she began to lose her composure. With the feeling of failure flowing through her, her wit finally snapped as she completely broke down after having flashbacks of when she got her team killed. She erratically grasped her head with both her hands and knelt down on the ground.

“They’re all dead! Goby’s dead! My only love is dead and it’s all my fault!” said Carolyn. She was crying madly as she sobbed on the ground, disregarding everything around her.

“Carolyn? Carolyn!” said Han as he walked over to her and lifted her to her feet, smacking her across the cheek. “Pull yourself together, Captain. This wasn’t your fault. They made the decision, not you. We’re in command here and these kids need us, so get your act together. If you need a minute to walk it off, fine. Capps, have you treated Darr yet?” he asked, looking from Carolyn to the security guards.

“Not yet, sir,” said Capps as she took out her med-kit.

“Get to it. We move in five,” said Han.

“So where are we going, sir?” asked Debbie.

“We’re going to look for survivors then vacate the premises. I’ll brief you on the way,” said Han.

Once everyone was ready, Han and Debbie were at the head of the group, leading the others to the cafeteria. They backtracked through the building and attempted to get to the lobby. Unfortunately, they had to stop on the second floor because there were too many zombies to fight through to get there.

“Why are there so many zombies? We already cleared this way when we got here,” said Han.

“It’s like all the zombies are attracted to this building,” said Debbie.

“It’s the sounds. This building is probably the only one where the fire alarm is active, and zombies seem to be attracted to sounds,” said Raphael, observing the flashing lights and the blaring siren.

“How do you know that?” asked Amy.

“Saw it in an anime. You watched it, remember?” said Raphael, giving her a slight smile.

“Oh yeah, _that_ anime…,” said Amy as she smiled as well.

Han and Debbie looked for another way out and decided to head to the cafeteria via a corridor that connected the two buildings. Resistance was minimal along the way, since most of the zombies had made their way outside to the center courtyard. The group, however, continued to maintain a firm sense of caution as they moved between the buildings.

“At least it’s dry in here,” said Haruhi as they entered the cafeteria.

Since Building A was the only building that had the fire alarm active, the other sprinkler systems weren’t triggered in the other buildings. The adults dispersed and secured the area with their guns at the ready. The top floor of the cafeteria was clear, so they headed to the staircase leading to the ground floor. There were a few roaming zombies -the cooks and staff from the kitchen- but it wasn’t a problem for Han and Carolyn. They skillfully picked them off one by one from the staircase, using only their handguns to take them out.

“Clear?” asked Han as he slipped a fresh clip into his pistol.

Carolyn scanned the room then gave him a nod. “Clear here,” she said.

Once it was safe, they proceeded on and motioned for Raphael and the others to follow. Han holstered his sidearm as he tried not to step in the blood from the zombies they downed just moments ago. “You all better grab something to eat while you can, but don’t stuff yourselves too full that you can’t run anymore. I have a feeling it’s going to be awhile until we find food again. Try and find something to pack some non-perishable food and water if you can, but don’t take too long. We can’t stay here,” he said.

Everyone sighed with relief and went through the buffet lines, grabbing a quick bite to eat while they could. The food was relatively still fresh, since lunch was next for the seniors. Raphael and the other prodigies all sat down at a table together and enjoyed a relative moment of normalcy amidst the chaos. Capps tended to Darr’s wounds and fixed up his bandages while the instructors discussed the group’s next move. Susan and Haruhi finished their meals quickly and went into the kitchen to search for supplies.

“Find anything yet?” asked Haruhi, skimming through the shelves for anything useful.

“Not yet,” said Susan as she went through a row of cereal boxes. She continued searching around and came across various pieces of cutlery. A particular knife, a cleaver, caught her eye as it hung from a metallic bar on the wall. “This could prove useful,” she said as she liberated it from the wall and took the leather sheath that went along with it. She attached the leather piece to her belt and sheathed the cleaver in it. After finding a couple bags and filling them with food and water bottles, they made their way back out and rejoined the group.

“Looks like you found some supplies. Is it too heavy? Because you’re going to be the ones carrying them for now,” said Han.

“We will manage. These items are vital and will come in handy later,” said Susan as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “What about Amy? Does she still need help?”

“Don’t worry, Susan. As her boyfriend, I should be the one to help her,” said Raphael as he looked to Amy.

“So considerate of you…,” said Amy with a weak smile as she got up from her seat.

Raphael and the others gathered their weapons and followed Han and Debbie to the next building, taking a similar corridor that connected the buildings together. Again, resistance was minimal as they made their way down the halls and to the ground floor. When they arrived at the lobby, they stopped and looked out the window.

“This is it. Across the courtyard is Building B and our ticket out of here. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to go outside and cross the courtyard to get there. The distance is relatively short, so it beats backtracking through all the buildings. Besides, all the zombies are concentrated around Building A’s entrance,” said Han as he observed the area outside the building.

“But, sir, what about Building E?” asked Susan.

“What about it, Stevens?” asked Han, glancing over towards her.

“There could be survivors there,” said Susan.

Han looked at her then turned to Debbie. “Lieutenant, take Stevens, Okane, and Comet to Building E. Quickly check for survivors then report back here. We’ll hold our position and plan our run to Building B,” he said.

Debbie nodded and led the way to Building E. “Let’s get going, guys,” she said.

Raphael asked Steven to watch Amy for him while he went with the others to the next building. “Take good care of her, Steven,” he said.

“I will,” said Steven as he helped Amy stand.

As Steven gave him a nod, Raphael looked to Amy. “I’ll just be a few minutes,” he said to her before giving her a gentle hug.

“Don’t worry about me. Just make sure you come back in one piece,” said Amy, hiding as much of her discomfort as she could to not worry him.

Raphael gave her a reassuring smile and hurried to catch up with the others. They carefully walked down the tunnel and went through the final hallway to the aquatic center. The area seemed clear enough with no signs of zombies for the moment. There weren’t any blood stains or tracks and nothing was out of the ordinary.

“I doubt there’s anyone here, but I guess it’s for the best that we check anyway,” said Debbie as she led the group down the corridor. When they arrived, they found the entire pool area devoid of people, dead or alive. “Looks like it’s clear. We should head back now,” she said, turning back towards the way they came.

“What about the second floor?” asked Raphael.

Debbie rolled her eyes and headed for the staircase. “Fine... but if we get ambushed by a horde of zombies, it’s your fault,” she said in jest.

Raphael gave a nod and made his way up the steps with the group, finding themselves at the end of a hallway. They cautiously made their way down the line of classrooms, checking all the rooms for any signs of life.

“There’s nothing here. Let’s regroup and get out of here,” said Debbie. As they were about to turn around and head back, one of the classroom’s doors opened. Debbie immediately drew her pistol while the others readied their melee weapons.

Once the person stepped out of the room, she was startled by the group and their weapons. “Whoa, what’s with the weapons, guys?” she asked.

“Yumi?” asked Raphael, Susan, and Haruhi in unison.

“What’s up?” said Yumi while yawning. “Oh, excuse me. I just woke up from my nap.”

“Nap? What are you doing here? Don’t you know what’s going on?” asked Debbie as she lowered her gun.

“I always come here to take a nap during lunch. I got out early from class for some odd reason, so I came here. I tell ya, I really needed that nap. So what’s with the weapons? Is that a paper cutter?” asked Yumi, pointing to the thing Haruhi was holding.

Raphael and the others looked at each with disbelief then turned to Yumi.

“We’ll explain later, but we need to get out of here, now,” said Debbie.

“Um, okay. Lead the way, ma’am,” said Yumi as she rubbed her eyes.

Yumi joined the group and they hurried back down the steps, making their way back to the hallway. They were almost to the other building until a group of zombies blocked their path.

“Hostiles!” said Debbie as she halted the group while raising her sidearm.

Once Yumi caught sight of them, she stopped in her tracks and shrieked with fright. “Holy- What the hell are those? Are those… zombies!?” she asked.

“You have no idea. Susan, stay here and watch Yumi. We’ll take care of this,” said Debbie while aiming her pistol at the nearest target.

Susan nodded and stayed back while the other three attacked the zombies. They swiftly made quick work of them, hacking, slashing, and shooting them all down. When there was only one zombie left, Raphael told the others to leave it to him.

“Wait! Is that? Oh, boy. Leave this one to me guys,” said Raphael as he suddenly grinned with delight. Debbie and Haruhi looked at each other and stood down, lowering their weapons. Meanwhile, Raphael walked towards the zombie with a smile still on his face. “Well well well, what have we here? The big, bad Sudoku. That’s who. Who’d’ve thunk you’d become one of the undead in the first day of the outbreak?” he said.

“What’s he doing?” asked Yumi as she watched from afar.

“I think… he’s finally getting his revenge on him,” said Susan as she watched Raphael as well.

Raphael made sure to keep his distance as he continued to mock his undead rival. “Although I’m just _bursting_ with curiosity of how you got turned, I don’t have the time to listen to your story. Now I know we’re all buddy-buddy after that ‘ _incident_ ’, but as much as I’d hate to do this, it must be done,” he said. He then outstretched his hand towards Haruhi. “Haruhi, if you’d be so kind.”

Haruhi looked at him with a confused look. “What? Do you want something?” she asked. Raphael looked at her weapon and made it obvious that he was doing so. Seeing him look at her weapon, she furrowed her brow. “My weapon? Is that it?” she asked. He nodded. “Um, all right. Here,” she said as she casually handed it over.

Raphael took the paper cutter and readied it to strike, taking a baseball-like stance. “Sorry, bro,” he said, swinging with all his might and bashing Sudoku in the head. He hit Sudoku so hard that he knocked him across the hall. “Homerun…” Raphael then walked back to the group and handed Haruhi back her weapon. “Thanks,” he said, sighing with satisfaction.

“You’re welcome, slugger,” said Haruhi with an amused smirk.

“That was very… morbid,” said Debbie, taking point with her pistol at the ready as they continued back to Han and the others.

All the way back, Yumi had a blank look on her face, still shocked that there was a zombie outbreak happening and she didn’t even know it. Once they rendezvoused with the group, Amy and the others had a renewed sense of hope as their friend made their way over to them.

“Is that? Dr. Sawbones! I can’t believe you of all people made it this far,” said Amy before coughing from all the excitement.

“Nice to see you too, Amy. You won’t believe how I survived this long though,” said Yumi as she waved to her and Steven. Before they left, they all took a small break as she told everyone where she had been during the zombie outbreak.

After Yumi’s little story, Han briefed everyone again about their run to the other building. “Is everyone ready? Remember, don’t fight unless you really have to. We don’t need to go attracting unnecessary attention,” he said.

Everyone nodded and readied their weapons if they had one. Haruhi and Susan took out their paper cutter and cleaver respectively, the blades glimmering in the sunlight. The instructors made sure their sidearms were poised to fire at a moment’s notice, their fingers hovering near the trigger. Raphael continued to help Amy move, using himself to support her as she walked.

When they were ready, Han looked out the window and slowly opened the door, making sure not to make any sounds. Once the door was fully open, he motioned for everyone to move outside with him. “All right, let’s move it out,” he said in a hushed tone.

Carolyn led the way with Han picking up the rear once they were all outside. They gathered on the porch directly outside the building and looked around the courtyard, disgusted by all the zombies and bodies that littered the ground. Carolyn surveyed the area, trying to find the safest route through the courtyard. She quickly assessed the situation and picked her route.

“Got it. Stay close and don’t make a sound,” said Carolyn, whispering to the group over her shoulder. Once they decided on the best path across, they began walking through the zombie-infested area.

Everything was going smoothly until they heard the sound of a cellphone ringing, prompting them to all freeze. “Hold up. Don’t panic. Everyone- just stay calm,” said Han. They held their positions and frantically looked around, finding the source of the noise; it was coming from a cellphone somewhere on the corpse of a dead military officer. Before they knew it, the horde of zombies was coming their way, hungry for flesh.

“Run! Get to the door!” said Carolyn as she and the other instructors laid down covering fire with their sidearms.

The prodigies and the remaining security guards sprinted for the door and entered the building followed by the three instructors. Once inside, they closed the door and made sure the area was zombie-free before they stopped for a breather.

“That was a close one,” said Yumi, panting from their sudden sprint to safety.

“Who was that anyway?” asked Raphael.

“That… was Colonel Noland of Research and Development. I guess he and his son did not make it out before the outbreak struck here,” said Susan, readjusting the bag of supplies she was carrying.

“If his phone was ringing, does that means our cellphone service is up?” asked Yumi as she checked her phone.

“Not likely. The lines are now reserved for emergency personnel only,” said Debbie.

“And high-ranking military officers,” said Carolyn as she walked back to the door to look at the phone through the window. “Colonel Noland must be among the few officers who can use their phones during these sorts of crisis situations. If we can get that phone, we can call for help.”

“And how do you plan on getting that phone, Carolyn?” asked Han as he turned to her.

“Simple. I’ll run out and grab it. These zombies aren’t very fast, so I can easily maneuver around them,” said Carolyn as she began planning her route to the phone.

“And you’re probably wanting Debbie and I to provide covering fire, right?” said Han.

“Couldn’t hurt,” said Carolyn with a wink.

Han took a moment to think it over before sighing. “You have thirty seconds,” he said with a certain amount of reluctance.

Carolyn smirked while Debbie rolled her eyes. “Knew you’d come around,” said Carolyn to Han as she gave Debbie a pat on the shoulder.

“Prodigies, stay here and watch our backs. Capps, if by some chance we don’t return, you’re in charge. We’ll just be right outside,” said Han as he prepared for action.

Han and Debbie went outside and took up firing positions while Carolyn prepared for the run. Once Carolyn gave the signal, she sprinted for the phone while the others covered her. She refrained from shooting for the first few moments, but as she got closer to the phone, the zombie density began to increase. She fired a few shots to clear the zombies directly on top of the phone while Han and Debbie took out the ones near her. She slid and swiftly patted down the corpse in search for the phone. She found it inside the dead officer’s jacket pocket and took it before sprinting back to the others. Han and Debbie alternated reloading their pistols and continued to cover her until she made it back to them safe and sound. Once she was inside, the other two instructors followed closely behind and secured the door.

“It seems like you still have some moves on ya,” said Han to Carolyn as he reached for another pistol magazine.

“A Crimzon Rose never loses her touch, especially one of my caliber. At least you can still shoot. I would’ve thought you’d grow rusty since becoming a teacher,” said Carolyn.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” said Han with a smile, sliding the magazine home.

“Glad you made it back it one piece, ma’am,” said Debbie.

“Well I had help. Thanks,” said Carolyn. She then took the phone, but stopped before she dialed a number. “Who should I call?” she asked.

“Call General Diez. He wasn’t among the dead in the office, and if there’s anyone who can arrange an evac for us, it’s him,” said Han.

Carolyn looked at the phone in her hand and paused, just staring at it. “I don’t know his number,” she said.

They stood for a moment, stumped until Raphael spoke up. “I know his number,” he said.

Han and Carolyn turned and looked at him with skepticism. “You know the General’s number?” asked Carolyn, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. He and my dad are good friends. He gave me his number to use in case of extreme emergencies. I think this qualifies,” said Raphael.

Carolyn shrugged and handed him the phone to dial in the number. “Okay then. Here. Give it a shot,” she said.

Once Raphael had it, he dialed in the number and handed it back to her to call for help. “This should do it,” he said.

Carolyn gave him a nod and held the phone to her ear. The phone rang three times before someone answered, but to her surprise, it wasn’t the general’s voice she heard.

“This is Agent Sands of Blackwatch. Code in,” said the voice on the other end.

Carolyn was confused but tried to give it a shot anyway and ask for help. “This is Capt. Carolyn Ren, Army Crimson Roses, from Centre Ridge Academy. I’m stranded on the campus with eleven other survivors including Capt. Hanzo Takahashi, Army Delta Force, and 1st Lt. Deborah Airre, Air Force Pararescue. We need evac, ASAP.”

There was a slight moment of silence before the agent replied, “I’m sorry. We are in control of all communications coming in and out of this area. This is a restricted line reserved for Blackwatch personnel _only_. I cannot offer assistance until the proper passcode has been given. Records show that the number you’re using belongs to Colonel Noland. Put him on the line.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, _Agent Sands_. Colonel Noland is dead. We found his phone on his corpse,” said Carolyn.

Agent Sands sighed then spoke. “Then I’m afraid _I_ can’t help you. Good luck,” he said before hanging up, cutting Carolyn off before she could insist on speaking to his superior.

Carolyn tried calling again, but the line remained dead. She cursed out loud as she nearly threw the phone on the ground. “He blocked the number,” she said with gritted teeth.

“Who blocked the number? Who’s this ‘ _Agent Sands_ ’?” asked Han.

“He said he’s part of ‘ _Blackwatch_ ’ and that all communications going in and out from this area are under their control,” said Carolyn, finally deciding to toss the phone on the ground anyway.

“I’ve never heard of them,” said Han.

“Me neither,” said Carolyn.

“So what do we do now, ma’am?” asked Steven.

Han exhaled and took control of the situation. “We continue with our plan. We make our way to the garage and evac from there,” he said.

“Before we continue, we’re going to need more ammo. I’m on my last mag,” said Debbie after taking inventory of her ammunition.

“I guess I could use more rounds as well,” said Han, patting his jacket for more mags.

“Isn’t there the armory in this building?” asked Haruhi.

“On the second floor. There’s enough ammunition and weapons there to arm us all to the teeth,” said Han.

“Then let’s get going. The faster we get the ammo, the faster we can get out of here,” said Carolyn.

Han acknowledged her and took the lead, making his way to the stairs with the group. On the way there, the instructors nearly exhausted all their ammunition just trying to get up to the second floor.

“Clear left,” said Carolyn.

“Clear right,” said Han. “Wait, did you hear that?”

“Gunshots. Lots of high-caliber gunshots. Seventy meters down that hall,” said Carolyn as she focused on the sound.

The group hurried to assist the other survivors and found themselves approaching the campus’ indoor firing ranges. Han had Debbie and the others wait a few feet back, just in case the gun-toting survivors weren’t as friendly as he had hoped. He motioned for Carolyn to back him up as he approached the source of the gunfire. When he came to the room the range was in, he decided to try words first before he poked any of his appendages into the doorway.

“This is Captain Takahashi. Any survivors in there?” asked Han.

“Yeah. This is Captain Dica. I’m hold up in here with seven prodigies. Is that you, Han?” asked Jonathan.

“Yeah. We’re coming in. Tell your prodigies to hold their fire,” said Han as he prepared to show himself.

After a few seconds, Jonathan gave the all clear, allowing Han to enter the room. Once it was safe, Han had Carolyn motion the others to follow him in.

“It’s good to see so many of you made it,” said Han, giving Jonathan a handshake.

“Likewise. How many are with you?” asked Jonathan.

“Eleven of us, including me,” said Han. The others from his group entered the room and joined the conversation.

“Good to see you’re still alive,” said Raphael, looking to Jonathan as he helped Amy into the room.

“Me too. How’re you doing? Hey, is Amy okay? Why is she cuffed?” asked Jonathan, noticing Amy’s deteriorating condition.

Raphael hesitated to respond, looking to Amy with a sullen look. He gulped down his fears and looked back to Jonathan. “She’s been bitten, but don’t worry. She’s fine for now,” he said finally.

Jonathan gave her a guarded look, but smiled with relief. “Well, at least you’re still alive,” he said.

As they were talking, another familiar face reared her head, carrying a sniper rifle proudly in her hands. “Look who showed up?” she said, walking up to Raphael and the rest of his friends.

“Jesse! You’re alive!” said Yumi, running over to her.

“What’s up, Jess?” asked Haruhi, engaging in their secret handshake with her.

“Nothin’ much. Just killing me some zombies,” said Jesse with a content smile on her face, despite taking out a lot of her undead classmates.

The prodigies conversed with each other while Susan and Haruhi passed out food and water bottles. Capps took out her medical supplies and began treating any injuries the prodigies from Jonathan’s group had. Meanwhile, the instructors talked amongst themselves off to the side, away from the others.

“What’s your ammo situation?” asked Han.

Jonathan looked to his group, taking a mental inventory of what supplies he had left. “We’ve got several .308 sniper mags for Prodigy Talyor’s rifle and a few 9mm pistol mags left for my sidearm, but that’s it. We’ve used most of it making our last stand in here,” he said.

“Last stand?” asked Carolyn.

“During the initial outbreak, it was pure chaos. I rounded up as many people as I could and headed here. There were around twenty of us then,” said Jonathan.

“At least you were able to save some of them,” said Han, looking to Jonathan’s group. “Anyway, we can’t stay here. We were on our way to the armory when we came across you and your group. We plan on heading to the garage on the first floor, which hopefully has a working vehicle we could use to escape.”

“After that, we plan on regrouping with survivors at Huntington, assuming that there are any,” said Carolyn.

“Sounds like a plan. The armory is just down the hall. I would’ve gone myself, but I didn’t want to endanger any of the prodigies,” said Jonathan.

“Well the coast is clear now, so we can make it there without a problem,” said Debbie.

Once the prodigies had rested and eaten a snack, Han and Jonathan took point while Carolyn and Debbie picked up the rear. They had no trouble reaching the armory, and when they arrived, Han input the code which unlocked the sturdy security door. Upon entering, he made sure the area was clear and input the code to gain access to the ammunition and weapon storage room.

“All right, prodigies. Before we let you loose, I want to make sure you understand that you’re about to use _live_ ammunition. If you need help, _please_ \- ask one of the adults for help. Don’t try anything you are uncomfortable with,” said Han as he addressed the students. After his brief safety talk, he let everyone choose their guns and ammunition.

The campus’ armory had plenty of weapons to choose from. Most of the prodigies in their group were freshmen and hadn’t handled real guns before. The instructors gave them a brief lesson in firearm handling and issued them a handgun to use, mostly handing out standard-issue models. Raphael and the other upper-classmen were already comfortable with using guns and chose bigger caliber firearms. Raphael and most of his friends stuck with the standard assault rifle to use, taking several handguns as backup weapons and piling on as much ammunition as they could onto their person. Jesse continued to use her sniper rifle and brought along a pistol as well.

“I never thought I’d get a chance to use one of these while at the academy,” said Raphael, loading a fresh magazine into his rifle.

“Don’t look so excited, Raph. This isn’t a game,” said Amy.

“I wasn’t insinuating anything. I just like this particular rifle. That’s all,” said Raphael.

Amy gave him a cautious look then turned away, coughing heavily as she looked to the weapons available. She was too weak to handle an assault rifle, so she chose a small submachine gun to use instead. Unfortunately, she still had her handcuffs on and couldn’t wield it properly. She went over to Carolyn who had Capps remove her cuffs. Once they were off, she rubbed her wrists with relief and retrieved her weapon.

Once Raphael and the others were all armed and stocked with ammunition, they made their way down to the first floor and towards the vehicle garage. When they came across zombies along the way, the first-time gun users hesitated to use their weapons and relied on the others for help. Raphael and his friends had no problem at all and opened fired on the zombies any chance they got. They engaged the enemy without difficulty and aimed for their head, firing in short, controlled bursts to conserve ammunition.

“I think this is the garage,” said Han as he moved up to a large, steel door. He slowly opened it and entered, triggering the automatic lights.

The room became illuminated and revealed a large, wide area, filled with hydraulic lifts and other mechanical tools used on cars and land vehicles. They all hurried into the room and looked for anything to bring them to safety. To the group’s relief, Jonathan spotted a promising looking vehicle at the other end of the room.

As they made their way over to it, Jonathan gave it a look over and inspected it. “What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a Mark-IV V20 APC. This armored vehicle comes standard with a 20mm chain gun on top which is remotely operated from the inside, of course, enough armor plating to deflect most types of small arms fire, and enough room to comfortably seat eight people, not including the driver and gunner,” he said.

Carolyn, Han, and Debbie looked at him, surprised, yet impressed with his knowledge of the vehicle. “How in the world do you know all that? You’re an air-jockey, not a ground-pounder,” said Carolyn.

“I took an armored vehicle driving course my senior year back in the academy. It was a filler class,” said Jonathan with a smug expression.

“An armored vehicle driving course? Does that mean you can drive this thing?” asked Han while he looked the vehicle over as well.

“Well, I got an A in the class,” said Jonathan, still with a smile.

Carolyn and Han exchanged impressed looks. “All right. You know what to do, Captain,” said Carolyn.

“Roger that,” said Jonathan as he looked for the vehicle’s access panel. Once he found it, he lowered the back hatch and got inside. He made his way to the driver’s seat and started up the engine.

As Jonathan was getting the APC ready to leave, Han inspected the personnel hold with dissatisfaction. “We’re not all going to fit in here, Carolyn,” he said, looking to her.

“I know. Either we risk riding on the roof or we have to make two runs,” said Carolyn, grimacing with dissatisfaction.

“What do you want to do?” asked Han.

“There’s not enough room on the top for the rest of us, so it looks like we’re going to have to make two runs,” said Carolyn before heading into the APC to tell Jonathan. After relaying the plan, she went back out to help the others into the vehicle. The seven prodigies from Jonathan’s group, not including Jesse, piled in first since most of them were freshmen and wounded. Darr was also loaded into the APC since he had a broken leg. While they were loading in, Carolyn told Capps to get on as well.

“But ma’am, I can still fight. Let some of the other prodigies go instead of me,” said Capps.

“Darr and the others need your medical expertise, so you need to go with them. Don’t worry. My prodigies are more than capable of handling themselves,” said Carolyn, glancing over to Raphael and the other upperclassmen.

Capps looked at her prodigies as well then to back to Carolyn. “Thank you, ma’am,” she said.

Carolyn gave Capps a nod before she went into the APC along with the others. “Good luck out there,” said Carolyn.

“C’mon, Carolyn, on you go,” said Han as he finished securing everyone into their seats.

“Me? No, you should go. You’re already inside,” said Carolyn, looking towards him in the APC.

“I insist,” said Han, stepping off the vehicle. He attempted to grab her hand, but she withdrew it before he could grasp it.

“Please, you should go. They’re going to need a strong leader once Jonathan drops you off, wherever it may be, no offense to the others,” said Carolyn, glancing to the other adults inside.

Han saw in her eyes that she wasn’t going to change her mind and gave in. “All right, Carolyn. Just make sure you stay alive until Jonathan returns, all of you,” he said, looking from Carolyn to others being left behind.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got Airre to back me up. And Comet and the others are the best prodigies I know,” said Carolyn.

Han smiled and moved back into the vehicle. “Don’t do anything stupid, you hear?” he said, giving her a nod before closing the back door to the vehicle.

After shaking her head at Han’s jest with a smile, Carolyn perked up as she heard Jonathan’s voice.

“Um, can someone get the door? I don’t feel like testing the APC’s durability by running it down. There should be a panel with the door’s controls on the left side,” said Jonathan through the vehicle’s loudspeaker.

Debbie walked over and located the buttons, waiting for a command to open the door. “Ready when you are,” she said to Carolyn.

“You ready, Jonathan?” said Carolyn out loud so he could hear through the metal APC chassis.

“Waiting for you, cap’n,” said Jonathan with a chuckle to mask his nervousness.

Carolyn looked to her prodigies, prompting them to ready their weapons. Raphael and the others readied their guns and aimed at the door. Once they were ready, she gave Debbie the go ahead. Jonathan revved the engine and gripped the controls, focusing straight ahead of him as he prepared to get his people to safety. Han was in the gunner’s position, but unfortunately, the vehicle’s weapon wasn’t loaded with ammunition. After getting the signal, Debbie pressed the button which opened the garage door for Jonathan’s APC. The door came to life as it slowly began to rise. Once there was enough space to leave, Jonathan hit the gas, driving the armored vehicle out the garage and onto the street. After the APC was clear of the garage, Debbie hit the button to close the door, but the door’s mechanical motor malfunctioned, creating a loud screeching, metallic sound.

“Debbie, close the door!” said Carolyn as she spotted zombies on the street starting to walk towards them.

“It’s not responding! The door’s jammed,” said Debbie as she continued trying to close the door.

As the zombies grew nearer while the door remained open, Debbie backed away and grabbed her rifle, popping off a few shots at the closest zombie. Carolyn ordered everyone into a firing line and opened fire, dropping the zombies directly in front of them. Unfortunately, the only thing the gunfire did was attract more zombies with the noise. With the garage door stuck open, Raphael and the others started to feel the pressure as the horde got closer and closer.

“Ma’am! We can’t hold this position!” said Debbie while emptying an entire clip into the wall of zombies.

“Right, fall back! Back into the hallway!” said Carolyn as she began to retreat. They all turned tail and hurried back into the building, shutting the door behind them. Carolyn felt that staying inside the building wasn’t the best of choices, so they headed for the roof. From there, she figured they would be able keep an eye out for Jonathan when he returned. They’d also be well out of reach from the zombie horde below.

“There we go. We’re good,” said Debbie as she secured the roof access door.

“All right, everyone. We’ll wait up here until Jonathan returns,” said Carolyn as she surveyed the area with the group. “…if he ever does,” she said under her breath.

As she looked around, Jesse spotted something and pointed over to it across the rooftop. “What is that? Wait- it’s a transport! There’s a ship over there!” she said.

Raphael looked over as he helped Amy along. “It looks like an Albatross. One of the newer models. See, Honey? We’re going to make it after all,” he said. Amy grumbled in response, limping along with him and the others.

As they approached the dropship, two figures exited the personnel hold to greet them. “Hello there! Do any of you know how to fly this thing!?” said one of the individuals.

“That voice seems familiar, doesn’t it?” asked Raphael.

“Yeah, because it’s Kyle!” said Jesse, delighted to see more familiar faces.

“Guys? It’s Jesse and the others! They’re all alive!” said Kari, nearly jumping for joy. She and Kyle hurried over to the group to see how they were doing.

“Kyle? Kari? What are you guys doing up here?” asked Yumi.

“Kari and I always come up here to- well, you know,” said Kyle with a devious look on his face.

Kari nudged him in the arm, blushing from the embarrassment. “Why are you guys wet?” she asked, shaking off the awkwardness.

“The sprinklers went off in Building A. It was a mess all throughout the place,” said Haruhi.

“Did I hear that you _always_ come up here?” Kari and Kyle froze as they saw Carolyn come into view in front of them, her gaze judging every inch of their being. “Coming up here unsupervised is against the rules, and _you_ _know_ how I feel about prodigies breaking the rules. But… given the circumstances, I’ll let it slide,” she said.

Kari and Kyle loosened up, giving a slight chuckle. Their chatter was suddenly silenced when Amy started coughing fiercely, profusely spilling blood from her mouth. She fell to the ground and started having painful spasms as she clutched her stomach.

“Amy! Hang in there! We’re almost out of here,” said Raphael as he knelt down next to her, caressing her in his arms.

“What’s the matter with Amy?” asked Kari with a shocked expression on her face.

“She was bitten,” said Susan with a reserved posture, stepping back from the scene.

Carolyn had everyone stand back and drew her sidearm, aiming it at Amy’s head. “She’s turning. Stand back, Comet,” she said, her tone unwavering as she prepared to end Amy’s suffering.

“She’s not turning! She’s going to make it!” said Raphael, holding her close to him.

“Move, Comet, or I’m going to take the shot right now, and believe me, I’m a pretty good shot,” said Carolyn as she trained her sidearm on Amy’s forehead.

Once Amy’s coughing subsided, she spoke as Raphael continued sobbing over her. “Raph, don’t let her… shoot… me,” she said.

“Don’t worry, Baby. I’m not going to let her do it,” said Raphael through his tears.

“If you don’t move in five seconds, I’m going to fire,” said Carolyn as she started slowly counting down with Raphael still clinging to dying girlfriend.

Raphael suddenly froze with grief as Amy whispered something into his ear.

While the two were still on the ground, Carolyn continued the countdown. “…three… two… one,” she said as she was about to pull the trigger, but Raphael shouted at the top of his lungs and told her to stop. She stopped her finger at the last second and didn’t fire, lowering her weapon.

After laying Amy gently on the ground, Raphael stood up and walked towards Carolyn. “I’ll do it. I’ll take care of her,” he said. Everyone around them was stricken with dismay and grief upon hearing that, especially from him.

Carolyn thought she didn’t quite hear him correctly and stood dumbstruck by his suggestion. “What?” she asked.

“I need to be the one to do it,” said Raphael.

Carolyn looked at him for a moment then holstered her pistol, understanding perfectly the position he was in. “So be it,” she said.

“Thank you, ma’am,” said Raphael, drawing his own sidearm. He walked back over to Amy and aimed his gun, his hand a bit shaky from seeing his lover in the crosshairs.

Amy had crawled away from the ship and was sitting with her back against a wall. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, Raph, but I don’t want to turn into one of them,” she said.

“I understand,” said Raphael. They stared at each other in silence, spending the remainder of their time together in peace.

Suddenly, a sharp pain arose in Amy’s chest, causing her to writhe in pain as she grabbed at her heart. “Argh! Do it! Kill me now!” she said with gritted teeth.

Raphael hesitated with the pistol in his hand and kept it aimed at her head the best he could. As the tears flowed down his cheeks, he was only able to mutter three words as a final goodbye, “I love you.”

Amy smiled through the pain, slowly fading away. “I love you, too,” she said

With that said, Raphael fired a single shot into Amy’s cranium, ending her pain and suffering for good. He stood there, looking at her lifeless body strewn out on the ground in front of him. He knelt down by her and kissed her cheek before moving away. His friends stood by, bowing their heads in sorrow.

Carolyn was even grief-stricken, letting a few tears flow freely. After a few moments had passed, she walked up to Raphael and placed her hand on his shoulder. “You did the right thing, Comet. At least you and Nagase were able to share her last moments together peacefully, before she turned. Now, she doesn’t have to suffer anymore,” she said.

“Let’s just get going,” said Raphael with a cold demeanor, holstering his pistol.


	2. Abandon All Hope

“What are we going to do, ma’am? Raph, do you know how to fly this thing?” asked Kyle.

Raphael didn’t respond and just sat in the back of the transport, sulking in the corner by himself. His emotions were too out of control that he was completely lost in his own thoughts.

After no one said anything, Susan broke the tension and stepped up. “I can fly it. It is basically the same type of ship we use in training while in the simulators, at least, before we moved on to the larger ships. Haruhi, I do not think Raphael is in any condition to fly, so you can be my co-pilot. I will manage the majority of the piloting. You just do what I tell you to, okay?” she said.

“Sure. I can do that,” said Haruhi.

“Okay, everyone onboard. Stevens, Okane, get this craft ready for takeoff,” said Carolyn. Susan and Haruhi quickly got onboard, heading into the cockpit and doing as they were told. Everyone else got secured in the personnel hold and closed the side doors.

“Almost ready. We will be off in a moment,” said Susan as she prepped the ship for takeoff. She wasn’t fully familiar with the flight controls, but she was able to find the basics and managed to get the ship’s engines started.

“Well you better hurry, because they broke through the door!” said Yumi as she watched a horde of zombies pile onto the roof through her window. Haruhi started to panic, but Susan tried to keep her cool and skipped a few steps in the pre-flight procedures.

“Hang on, everybody!” said Susan. She disconnected the locks and engaged the thrusters, lifting off from the rooftop. Once she had gained enough altitude, she turned the ship and headed towards Huntington AFB.

“We did it! We’re finally out of the hell hole!” said Jesse, cheerfully clenching her hand into a fist.

Before Susan could smile with relief, a warning sound blared inside the cockpit. Her ears perked up as she tried to find the source of the noise.

“What the heck is that?” asked Haruhi as she tried to spot it as well.

Susan looked around the console and noticed something that made her heart sink. “Uh, guys, we have some bad news and some really bad news,” she said, still gripping the flight controls in her hands.

“What’s the bad news, Stevens?” asked Carolyn as she got out of her seat and moved into the cockpit.

“We barely have any fuel and with what we have left, we’ll last about- a couple minutes tops, ma’am,” said Susan.

“And the really bad news?” asked Carolyn, wondering what could possibly be worse than having no fuel.

Susan gulped and looked to her. “I can’t find a place to land…,” she said.

Everyone sat in their seats with a vexed look on their faces. Suddenly, the ship started to shudder and began its decent back to the ground.

“We’re going to die!” said Kyle as he cried in his seat.

Carolyn remained calm and tried to keep the situation under control. “Stevens, can you bring us in without power?” she asked.

“I can try, ma’am. I can glide us in, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be a smooth landing,” said Susan.

Carolyn’s eyes darted around, weighing what little options she had. “Do it. We’re counting on you,” she said, putting her complete faith in her student. She then sat back in her seat and fastened her safety harness.

Susan nodded back then nervously turned towards her flight console. Haruhi was next to her, gripping the seat for her life. Susan tried to relax and grabbed the stick, aiming for a strip of street to bring the ship down on. As she glided the ship in, mostly everyone in the back were screaming for their lives. Carolyn tried to remain positive, but she was still having slight fears in her head, doubting that a prodigy still in the academy could pull off such a landing successfully.

As they came closer to the ground, Susan counted down before they made impact with the pavement. “Brace yourselves in five… four… three… two-” she said before the sudden impact interrupted her. She underestimated the distance and hit the ground before she guessed they would.

The impact rocked the ship violently as it skid into a nearby building, plowing through the front of it and coming to a stop near the center. Remarkably, the ship was still intact, for the most part, and everyone was still alive with minor bruises and cuts. Once the ship came to a complete halt, Susan looked over and noticed Haruhi sitting motionless in her chair. Grimacing at the assumption that she was dead, Susan unbuckled her harness and went into the personnel hold, opening the door.

Carolyn came to her senses and saw Susan leave the ship. “Stevens, where are you going? Come back here,” she said with a coarse voice.

Susan exited the ship and completely lost her mind, yelling out a profane obscenity. “What’s the use anymore!” she said afterwards. She fell to her knees and went into the fetal position, rambling incoherently. “I did everything I could. I did everything to the best of my ability! There’s nothing left. Everyone’s dead. Mom’s dead. Dad’s dead. Haruhi’s dead. WHAT IS THERE LEFT!? WHY!? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!? I know why. It’s because I’m a bad person. Is that it? It must be it.” She started laughing maniacally as her mind completely shut down.

“Get back in here! You don’t know what’s out there!” said Carolyn as she struggled to get her harness off.

As Susan was lying in the debris of the crash, a zombie emerged from the rubble and grabbed her arm. Before she could react, it bit her hand and wouldn’t let go. “AH! GET OFF ME!” she said. Struggling with the pistol in her holster, she instead reached for her cleaver and struck the zombie in the neck. She continued to hack at it until its head was cleaved fully off from its shoulders. She removed the zombie’s head from her hand and backed away from the corpse. “I’VE BEEN BIT!” She started shaking with fright, looking at her hand and the blood dripping off her fingertips. She then eyed her cleaver still stuck in the zombie and grasped it, raising it into the air.

As Carolyn looked on from her seat, her eyes widened as she deduced what Susan was about to do next. “Stop! Don’t do it!” she said, reaching out to her.

Ignoring Carolyn’s words, Susan readied herself, breathing heavily with expectancy. “I’M NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THEM! AHHHH!” she said, screaming at the top of her lungs. Without hesitation, she amputated her hand in one fell swoop, just above the wrist. She cringed from the pain then smiled madly, looking at her arm where her hand used to be. Blood began to flow from the wound, but she barely even noticed. “LOOK! I DID IT! I’M NOT INFECTED ANYMORE!”

By that time, Carolyn and the others were able to get out of their harnesses and rushed over to Susan. Haruhi was still knocked out and strapped to her seat in the cockpit.

“Why would you do that to yourself!?” asked Kari, sobbing at the sight of her friend.

“Don’t you see? I was able to stop the virus before it could spread to the rest of my body. I’m going… to be fine…,” said Susan as she walked shakily towards them. She took a few more steps before collapsing to the ground from the blood loss. She severed a vital artery which caused her to bleed out rapidly.

“Yumi! You’re the medical student. Save her!” said Jesse, slinging her rifle behind her back.

Carolyn looked over at Yumi, noticing the helpless expression on her face. “Baiorin, can you help her?” she asked.

Yumi looked away from Susan to Carolyn. “I- I wasn’t trained on how to deal with this yet. I can only handle bullet wounds and small gashes, not entire amputations! I don’t have any supplies. I don’t know what to do, ma’am,” she said, feeling helpless to help her dying friend.

“How long does she have?” asked Carolyn after exhaling deeply.

Yumi knelt down next to Susan, doing everything she could to stop the bleeding with what she had on hand. Susan was lying on her back, breathing heavily as she fought to stay conscious. Yumi was hesitant to even touch her dying friend’s body, but pulled through it and placed her hand on her chest. “Not long. She’s lost too much blood and the virus has already spread to the rest of her body, contrary to what she believed,” she said. She moved away as did everyone else, sobbing as they watched their fading friend’s last moments and knowing what was going to happen next.

Carolyn walked over to Susan and drew her sidearm. “Stevens, can you hear me?” she asked, standing over her.

Susan opened her eyes and looked to Carolyn. “Ma’am, I’m cold...,” she said, only managing a few words in response.

Carolyn winced and looked away as Susan breathed her last breath. Raphael and the others stood by and anxiously waited for her to turn. Carolyn checked her pistol and aimed it at Susan. They waited in frightened anticipation before her body started to twitch a few seconds later. Once Carolyn was sure she had turned, she planted a bullet in her brain, silencing her for good. Shaking her head in disgust, Carolyn turned back to her students, holstering her handgun.

“I know you all must be full of grief for your deceased friends, but right now, we can’t afford to waste any time crying over what can’t be changed. Check the ship for supplies and gather any remaining weapons. Where’s Okane?” asked Carolyn.

Raphael and the others all looked around and couldn’t find her. “I don’t know, ma’am. I’ll check the cockpit,” said Jesse.

While Jesse went to go check on Haruhi, Carolyn and the others looked through the crashed ship. Haruhi was alive, but unconscious, so Jesse freed her from her harness and got Kari to help her out of the cockpit. As they were carrying her into the personnel hold, the ominous sound of a zombie moan came over them. They all left the ship and looked up above them. Zombies were falling from the second floor through the large hole caused by the crash.

“There’s too many of them!” said Steven, shooting a zombie as it tried to stand up after falling from above.

Carolyn quickly assessed the situation and decided that a tactical retreat was in order. “Everyone, follow me! Get to the door!” she said, clearing a way through the zombies and opening the door leading into the hallway.

Everyone grabbed what they could around them and followed closely behind, shooting all the zombies that got too close. “Go go go! Follow Instructor Ren!” said Debbie, her rifle poised in his hands.

“Right behind ya, ma’am!” said Jesse as she and Kari continued to carry an unconscious Haruhi. While they were doing that, the Raphael and the others protected them, staying close to keep the zombies off them.

Carolyn opened the door across the hall and quickly scanned the area before signaling her students inside. “Hurry! Over here!” she said. They all hurried inside while she covered them with her pistol, shutting and locking the door once everyone was accounted for. “Is everyone okay?” she asked, looking to her group.

“We’re all good here, ma’am,” said Debbie.

Carolyn made her way into the room and looked around to make sure it was safe. The room was mostly dark with only a few emergency lights providing a few spots of illumination. “Can someone hit the lights?” she asked.

“Got it,” said Debbie as she looked around near the door. She found the panel then flipped the light switch. The room’s ceiling lights came to life and illuminated the area. Once they could see clearly, everyone looked around and saw uniforms and tactical gear galore. There were several rows of shelves lined up next to each other, running the length of the room.

“It seems like we’ve stumbled upon a unit’s quartermaster supply. I’m guessing… an air force security forces unit based on the uniforms we have here,” said Carolyn as she inspected the gear.

“Somebody wake up Prodigy Okane. We can’t keep carrying her like this,” said Debbie.

Jesse knelt down next to Haruhi and tried shaking her awake. “Hey, wake up, Haruhi. Get up already,” she said. Once the shaking didn’t work, she frowned then smacked her across the cheek.

Haruhi jolted awake and looked around, blinking as she rubbed her cheek. “What- What happened? Where am I?” she asked.

“You’re safe… for now, anyway. After we crashed, we had to hightail it to another room,” said Jesse. She helped Haruhi stand up and brushed all the dust off of her.

Haruhi looked around but didn’t see Susan around. “Where’s Susan?” she asked.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to tell her about the news. Kari was about to tell her what happened, but Carolyn stepped in. “She died in the crash, isn’t that right, Baiorin?” she asked, looking straight at her.

Everyone exchanged confused glances then turned to Yumi. Yumi was confused as to why Carolyn was lying about Susan’s death, but soon she realized it was better to tell Haruhi a lie rather than what really happened, for her sake. “Um, yeah. I checked and didn’t find a pulse. I’m sorry, Haruhi,” she said.

Haruhi immediately lost it and grabbed at the door. “Susan! You can’t be dead!” she said, reaching out for the door handle.

“Restrain her! Don’t let her open that door!” said Carolyn.

Kari and Jesse rushed to her side and pulled her away from the door. Haruhi struggled for a bit then stopped resisting, dropping to the ground in tears. Kari and Jesse stayed by her side and tried to comfort her until she regained her composure.

Carolyn sighed as she watched Haruhi then looked down at her uniform. “Well, we better get changed out of these soaked clothes while we can. This skirt is definitely not adequate for evading zombies in,” she said as she began to undress. She took off her shirt and began undoing her skirt. She then noticed the male prodigies in the room staring at her, almost taken aback by her brazen appearance. “What are you all looking at? Go find a uniform that fits you and gear up- _now_ ,” she said, giving them a piercing glare.

Raphael and the other guys snapped out of their stupor and went to find a change of clothes.

“That was scary…,” said Kyle as he walked along with Raphael and Steven to the section with men’s sizes. Kari and the rest of the other gals stayed with Carolyn and looked for female uniforms in their size.

“What? The crash or… Susan?” asked Raphael.

“Well those, but I actually thought- that I was starting to get aroused when I saw Instructor Ren topless like that,” said Kyle.

Raphael wasn’t sure he heard him correctly and just rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot, Kyle. That’s something you should just keep to yourself, man,” he said, questioning for a second why he was friends with him again.

Kyle chuckled to himself as they looked for uniforms their size, peeking over towards the girl’s section every now and then. Even though not everyone had soaked clothes, they thought actual military gear would prove more useful than the academy uniforms they were currently wearing. Raphael and most of the other prodigies found basic infantry uniforms that fit them and changed out of their soaked clothes. Yumi found a medic version of the uniform while Debbie and Carolyn fancied the officer versions. After changing into their new uniforms, which consisted of a jacket, pants, an undershirt, and boots, they looked for other tactical gear that would be beneficial in the field. They put on riot-style tactical vests, which not only offered additional protection for their necks and shoulders, but also didn’t obstruct their mobility and flexibility. The vests utilized the MOLLE system which allowed each of them to customize the vest to their liking, mixing and matching various pouches and attachments. After their vests, they all acquired a set of elbow and knee pads for added protection. They finished their loadouts by finding a suitable set of gloves and backpack.

“Everyone ready? What’s our supply situation?” asked Carolyn.

They all took inventory of what they were able to scavenge from the ship, bringing everything together. Before they had to retreat, they were only able to retrieve four assault rifles, Jesse’s sniper rifle, Amy’s submachine gun, a small med-kit, and only one of the supply bags. Fortunately for them, they all had their handguns and the gear that was already stashed on their person at the time.

“That’s about everything, Carolyn,” said Debbie as she looked over their supply pile.

“It’s not much, but it’ll have to do,” said Carolyn, surveying the weapons and supplies they had left as well.

“How are we divvying up the weapons?” asked Debbie.

“You and I will get an assault rifle. As for the other two, Luft, Straatmore, they’re yours,” said Carolyn.

Kari and Kyle smiled with approval as they each took a rifle from Carolyn. “Thanks, ma’am. We’ll put them to good use,” said Kyle.

“Well, no one’s taking my rifle,” said Jesse as she retrieved her sniper rifle and slung it over her shoulder.

“Who wants the submachine gun?” asked Carolyn.

Those who were lacking a gun didn’t bother saying anything, waiting for Raphael to take the weapon since it used to be Amy’s. After a few seconds of silence, he gave in and took the gun.

“I’ll take it. It’s the only thing I have left of Amy,” said Raphael. He took the submachine gun and made sure it was locked and loaded.

“Okay. As for the rest of you, I guess you’ll have to use your sidearms for now,” said Carolyn. The rest of the prodigies nodded and checked their pistols. “Conserve your ammo. Only shoot at what you can hit.” She readied her rifle and walked to the door, looking out the window. “We need to get out of this building and regroup with whoever we can from the base. Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Debbie.

The other prodigies readied themselves and gave a nod. Haruhi grabbed one of the supply bags and slung it over her shoulder with her sidearm at the ready. The others prepared their primary firearms and formed up on the two instructors.

“All right. Stay close and keep alert,” said Carolyn as she opened the door, taking out three zombies directly in front of her. Raphael and the other prodigies followed closely behind with Debbie picking up the rear. Carolyn led the group down the halls and found what seemed to be an exit. She slowly opened the door and peeked outside, looking down an empty street. “It looks clear. Let’s go,” she said before the others exited the building and moved onto the street.

Once they were outside, Steven looked to his left and saw a horde of zombies rambling about just down the street. “That’s a lot of zombies,” he said in a hushed voice as to not attract them.

“Ma’am, I thought you said it was clear,” said Kari, gulping at the large number of hostiles just a few yards away from them.

“I said it _looks_ clear,” said Carolyn, cursing to herself after spotting another large group of zombies to their right flank.

“What do we do know, ma’am?” asked Debbie, looking to her.

Carolyn looked around and decided that there were too many zombies to fight through. “Shoot. Let’s head back inside and find another way,” she said. She moved through the group and tried to open the door, but to her dismay, it was locked. She tugged on the handle harder, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Ma’am?” asked Kyle.

“It’s locked! We’re stuck out here,” said Carolyn, kicking the door in frustration.

“Well, you better think of something quick, the zombies are closing in on us,” said Debbie.

“Should we fire?” asked Kyle.

Carolyn turned around from the door and took a moment to assess the situation. “We need to relocate to better defensible position, preferably on high ground,” she said after taking in her surroundings.

“But where!? We’re totally surrounded!” said Yumi as the zombies continued closing in on their position.

“There! Up the stairs to the PT platform!” said Haruhi.

“Roger that, Okane. Go go go! Open fire!” said Carolyn, leading the way as she and the others sprinted for the stairs while firing their weapons. Carolyn got there first and covered the rest of the group as they climbed up the stairs to the platform.

“C’mon, Carolyn! We’re all up here!” said Debbie as she reloaded her rifle.

“Almost done,” said Carolyn. Once her magazine was empty, she went up the stairs to join the others. “Is everyone okay?” she asked, making sure they weren’t being followed.

They all gave a thumbs-up and checked their guns. Meanwhile, Carolyn walked around the platform and surveyed the surrounding area. The platform wasn’t connected to any building, so the only way off was either by taking the railcar or by going back down the stairs.

“Ma’am, it’s starting to get dark. We need to find shelter,” said Debbie, glancing towards the setting sun and not looking forward to the fading light.

“I know. But there’s not many places we can go now. They’ve surrounded the platform down below already and it’ll be near impossible to force our way through,” said Carolyn.

The two of them thought about their next move while the prodigies meandered around the platform. Haruhi sighed at the situation then suddenly thought of a solution. “Ma’am, if we need a place to sleep, we can just go to my place,” she said as she made her way over to them.

“Your place? Where exactly would that be?” asked Carolyn, looking over to her.

“I live in the suburbs, about ten minutes away if we can catch the monorail, that is, if it’s still running. The next one should be coming along any minute now. The stop is close to my house, about a few minutes’ walk from the platform,” said Haruhi.

“Hmm… how ‘bout it, Carolyn? The suburbs seems like a place where there would be a minimal amount of zombies. Most of them are concentrated more towards the city, I would think,” said Debbie.

“I guess it’s better than nothing. Does anyone live any closer than Haruhi?” asked Carolyn, looking to the other prodigies.

They all shook their heads. “I don’t mind going to Haruhi’s. You guys remember her house, right? We went there for her birthday party a couple years ago,” said Kari.

“Yeah. It’s pretty big if I remember correctly,” said Jesse.

Haruhi exhaled deeply and took a seat on a bench, waiting with the others for the monorail to arrive. _‘I wonder if mom and dad are still alive…,’_ she thought to herself.

To their delight, the rail system was still functioning, so they all boarded the car when it arrived at the platform. Once it began moving, they all sighed with relief as they headed towards refuge at Haruhi’s house. On the way there while traversing above the infected streets below, everyone relaxed and rested before they had to depart from the monorail. They had to go past two other platforms before they reached the stop closest to her house.

As they approached the first one, Carolyn got up and readied her assault rifle. “We’re approaching the first platform. Firing line! Get ready to repel any zombie boarders,” she said.

Raphael picked up his submachine gun and stood up along with the others. They each took position in front of a door as the monorail slowed down and came to a halt at the platform.

“There’s zombies on the platform, ma’am,” said Jesse, peering ahead using her rifle’s scope.

“I see them. Prepare to fire,” said Carolyn. As the doors opened, the platform erupted in gunfire as Raphael and the others unloaded on the zombies present there.

“All clear,” said Debbie, seeing the last of the zombies fall to the ground.

“Keep alert. Don’t let your guard down until the doors are closed and we’re moving again,” said Carolyn while keeping her rifle raised.

After waiting a few more seconds, the monorail’s doors shut and the car continued on its way down the tracks. They all executed the same formation when they arrived at the second platform, but there weren’t any zombies there, which was a good sign. Once they were on the move again, the group began to loosen up as they grew nearer to their destination.

“Almost there. I can’t wait to just get some sleep,” said Yumi.

“So where exactly is your house? I want to know how far we have to walk, or run depending on how many zombies are present,” said Carolyn.

“Um, it’s not far. Just down a few streets on the left. It shouldn’t be too bad,” said Haruhi.

“What’s the surrounding area like and how big is your house?” asked Carolyn.

“Well, the house is on a hill, and it’s a two-story house complete with a basement and attic,” said Haruhi.

As they were talking, the monorail arrived at their stop. They all got up and made their way onto the platform, which was empty and clear of any zombies. Before continuing on, they looked over the railing and examined the area in front of them.

“Looks like there aren’t any zombies around,” said Steven.

“Maybe it has something to do with all these evacuation signs,” said Jesse, looking at all the posters on the walls and columns.

“Let’s use this temporary lack of contacts to our advantage. It’s about to get dark soon, so let’s get a move on,” said Carolyn before making her way to the stairs.

The others followed behind her as they made their way down to the sidewalks with Haruhi leading the way in front of Carolyn. They carefully walked down the streets, keeping watch for any stray zombies still around.

“This area seems to not have been touched by the outbreak. Everything is still… normal,” said Yumi as she glanced at the houses and yards around them.

“Yeah. It almost seems like nothing is even going on,” said Steven.

While they were walking, Jesse slowed down to walk alongside Raphael, who was trailing near the back of the group. She got beside him and matched his walking pace. “So, how are you holding up, Raph?” she asked, looking to him beside her.

Raphael was walking as if he were on autopilot, moving his legs only enough to keep pace with the group, not quite aware of his surroundings. As he heard Jesse talking to him, he snapped out of his trance and looked over to her. “Huh? Oh, I’m… fine, I guess,” he said finally after letting out a heavy sigh.

“You sure? If you need anything, just let me know or anyone else when we get to Haruhi’s house, okay?” said Jesse, giving him as warm of a smile as she could.

Raphael remained stoic, letting out another sigh. “Okay. Thanks,” he said.


	3. Deadly Passion

Within a few minutes, they all arrived at Haruhi’s residence after an uneventful walk through the neighborhood. The house was still intact with no signs of a disturbance in or around it.

“Here we are, my house,” said Haruhi as they walked up to the front door. She took out her key and opened it, letting everyone inside. “Make yourself at home,” she said, closing the door once they were all standing in the foyer.

Before they continued on, Carolyn spoke up and halted the group. “Hold up, everyone. Before you all disperse, let me say a few things. First, keep your boots on, just in case we need to make a sudden run for it. You can take off your vests to get more comfortable, but try and keep as much on as you can. Second, keep the noise to a bare minimum. That means no excessive volume on the TVs, no blasting music, etc. And lastly, if you want to take a shower, do so at your own risk. If you plan to take one, make it quick. If we have to leave on the spot, and you’re still in the shower, consider yourself left behind,” she said. After she addressed them on the ground rules, they all dispersed into the house to do their own thing.

“Where are you going, Haruhi?” asked Kari, following after her once the group split up.

“I’m going upstairs to my room. If you guys need anything, just let me know,” said Haruhi before leaving the group and hurrying up to her room. As she was heading there, she passed by her parent’s room and noticed the door was closed. Hoping that they were inside, she approached the door and opened it. “Mom? Dad?” she asked, hoping they would be there waiting for her for some odd reason. Finding nothing, she frowned as she entered an empty room. She went over to the bed and crawled on it, curling up into the fetal position as she cried over her missing parents and dead sister.

After fifteen minutes of wandering around the house, everyone came back downstairs for dinner together. Since it was Haruhi’s house, she helped cook the meal along with Kari and Debbie who also had some cooking skills and experience. For dinner, they prepared a quick beef dish with tomato sauce, a side of buttered garlic bread, and salad with mixed vegetables.

“Eat up. You’ll need the strength for tomorrow,” said Debbie, placing the dishes on the dinner table.

“Thank you, lieutenant,” said Carolyn, picking up her fork as she sat at the head of the table. She got her share of the food first and passed the bowl down the line, going from the highest rank all the way to the lowest. Even though it was the apocalypse, she maintained order, discipline, and military tradition as if it were any other day.

“This is delicious, Haruhi,” said Yumi after sampling the meal laid out for them.

“Thanks. It wasn’t that hard to make, especially with people helping you in the kitchen,” said Haruhi.

As they were eating, Carolyn was already thinking about their sleeping situation. “Haruhi, you said that this house has an attic?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Haruhi.

“What’s up there?” asked Carolyn, setting down her utensils on her plate.

“Up there? That’s where our entertainment room is,” said Haruhi.

Carolyn put her hands together and rested her chin on them, her elbows set on the table to prop her head up. “Entertainment room? How big is it?” she asked.

Haruhi took a moment to figure the dimensions out in her head. “Pretty big. It’s basically a single, large room. Why do you ask, ma’am?” she asked.

Planning things through, Carolyn exhaled through her nose and shared her thoughts with the group. “Because that’s where we’ll all be sleeping. It’s the safest place in the house, and we’ll all be together in the same room during the night. That way, we won’t have to worry about keeping watch during the night and we can all get sufficient sleep. I assume there’s only one way up there, right?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am, but there’s plenty of bedrooms for everyone,” said Haruhi.

“No, Carolyn’s right. We should all stay together. It’s for your safety, understand?” said Debbie, looking to Haruhi across the table.

“I guess…,” said Haruhi.

After dinner, Haruhi showed them the attic where the entertainment room was. The attic was fully furnished with mahogany-colored walls and a cherry-wood floor. Along with the entertainment room, which contained a large wall for the projector, a large sofa, and two smaller couches, there was also a small bathroom and a bar stocked with alcoholic beverages for the adults.

“This is a nice room. The entertainment system is happenin’. I bet these speakers and the surround sound system you have here can really get the party going,” said Jesse as she admired the amenities.

“Yeah. When Mom and Dad were out, Susan and I liked to crank up the tunes,” said Haruhi, remembering the good times she had up there with her sister.

Carolyn looked around, figuring out how they were going to be situated for the night. “If we move these couches and tables out of the way, we can layout sleeping bags or blankets to sleep on. Do you have any sleeping bags, Okane?” she asked.

“We have four, ma’am. We can just open them up and use them as mats to sleep on. Then I can find some blankets or comforters to use as covers,” said Haruhi.

“That’ll work. Some of us can sleep on the couches and the rest on the floor,” said Carolyn as she walked around the room. Content with the layout, she glanced at her watch. “All right everybody, it’s still early to be turning in, so you can continue wandering around at your own discretion. At 21:00, it’s lights out and everyone’s asleep. And remember, no loud noises and keep the blinds closed. You’re dismissed.”

Once they were all released, Debbie walked over to Haruhi. “Hey, Haruhi, can we get public broadcasting up here?” she asked.

“Yeah. The projector should be hooked up to it,” said Haruhi, looking around for the remote.

“Then put on the news. Let’s see how bad this epidemic is,” said Debbie, plopping down on one of the couches.

Haruhi found the remote and picked it up, turning on the projector and switching to the local news channel. Unfortunately, the emergency broadcast system was on, repeating the same evacuation instructional video over and over again.

“Well, that’s not good. Try switching to a larger news channel,” said Jesse as she sat on one of the couches as well.

Haruhi changed the channel and found a news station that was still airing from Gale, the city adjacent to Grandeur City. “There, got one,” she said as she moved off to the side.

“What the- How in the world can they cover all this up with a story like that!? Quarantining an entire city like Grandeur, just because of a radiation spill!? No one is going to believe that,” said Carolyn, crossing her arms with dissatisfaction as she stood behind Debbie.

“At least they evacuated most of the city,” said Debbie as she sat forward in her seat.

“But what about _us_? The academy? The base!? Are we not worth saving, or at least, warning?” said Carolyn, growing more frustrated by the second.

“It’s all protocol, Carolyn. You know how it is. Plus, I bet those Blackwatch guys have something to do with keeping all of us in the dark,” said Debbie.

Carolyn sighed with frustration, growling angrily under her breath. “You’re probably right. We’re on our own and we stay the course. For the remainder of the night, just relax and rest up. In the morning, we’re heading straight to Huntington,” she said before heading off to do her own thing.

While most of the group stayed in the attic, Kari went to take a shower in one of the bedrooms while she had the chance. Elsewhere, Raphael and the other guys were upstairs checking their weapons and gear.

“I still can’t believe that this is all happening,” said Steven while switching out his pistol’s magazine for a fresh one.

“What’s so hard to believe? Biochemical accidents happen more often than you think,” said Kyle, unslinging his rifle and placing it beside him.

“But this is kinda more serious than a typical lab contamination or leakage. An entire city is affected by this accident, if it is one, and who knows how far it’s spread,” said Raphael, finally feeling more at ease to be more social.

“Well, this one is pretty serious. I wonder how the military is containing all this,” said Steven.

“Who knows? Hey, I’m going to get a drink. You guys want anything?” asked Raphael.

“I’m good,” said Steven.

“I’ll take a bottled water,” said Kyle.

Raphael nodded, leaving his gun and gear with Steven and Kyle before he left. As he made his way downstairs, he passed Haruhi in the hallway. “Hey there, Haruhi. What are the towels for?” he asked.

“They’re for whoever wants to take a shower. Kari’s taking one in the master bathroom. You can take one after her if you want. The master bathroom is _way_ better than the regular one,” said Haruhi.

Suddenly, they heard Yumi shouting from the kitchen as they talked in the hallway. “Haruhi!” shouted Yumi from downstairs.

Haruhi sighed and turned towards the balcony. “What!?” she asked.

“The ice machine won’t shut off!” said Yumi, almost frantic as the ice kept pouring from the refrigerator.

Haruhi groaned to herself as she looked towards the kitchen. “Hold on. I’ll be right there,” she said. Before leaving, she handed Raphael the towels. “Here. Give these to Kari,” she said.

“Um. Okay. Which one is the master bedroom?” asked Raphael.

“Down at the end,” said Haruhi before heading down the stairs.

Raphael looked down the hall and made his way into the master bedroom with the towels in hand. The door to the bathroom was closed, so he made sure to knock before opening it. He approached then apprehensively gave it a knock.

“Who is it?” asked Kari from inside the bathroom, still taking a shower.

“It’s Raphael. Haruhi asked me to drop off some towels,” he said.

Kari paused and shuffled around behind the door before letting him in. “It’s open. Come in,” she said.

“All right. Coming in,” said Raphael, slowly opening the door. Before he could fully open it, Kari swung it open herself. Once he saw her standing in front of him, he shielded his eyes with the stack of towels. “Gah! I’m sorry. I thought you said it was okay to come in,” he said.

Kari was standing there, nude and completely exposed. “I did say it was okay. Please, come in,” she said with a friendly smile, gesturing him to come in.

“But you’re naked,” said Raphael, still shielding his eyes out of common decency.

Kari smirked, crossing her arms. “So?” she asked.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” said Raphael.

“Just hurry up and get in. Someone might see us,” said Kari, dropping her arms to her sides.

Raphael hesitated, but stepped in anyway. “…fine,” he said.

Kari moved closer to him and shut the door behind him. “Good. Now just toss the towels anywhere,” she said.

“Why am I here? What do you want with me?” asked Raphael, placing the towels on the counter while keeping his gaze off of her. He glanced over at the mirror on the wall in front of him and saw Kari standing behind him. Once he saw her, he blushed and redirected his gaze again.

“I just wanted some company,” said Kari as she moved closer to him.

Raphael tensed up as he turned around, feeling her bare chest push against his while her pelvis brushed his right thigh. “This is wrong. You’re with Kyle, aren’t you?” he asked.

Kari looked into his eyes then glanced down. “I am, but I don’t _like_ him that way, you know? He’s more of a very close friend to me more than a boyfriend, almost like a brotherly relationship. He just doesn’t appeal to me as much as you do,” she said, biting her lip slightly.

“Wait, as much as I do? I thought we were past that, Kari,” said Raphael.

“I thought so too, but… I still find you attractive. I don’t know what it is about you that gets me so aroused,” said Kari as she moved closer to him and gently exhaled on his neck. She then placed her hands on his waist and looked him in the eye.

“Kari… you don’t want to do this,” said Raphael, urging her to cease her actions as he tried to remain in control of himself.

“But I do. Who knows how much time we have left in this zombie apocalypse? We’ve already lost Amy and Susan. Any one of us can bite the dust tomorrow out there. I don’t want to die a virgin, Raph. I want you to be my first,” said Kari.

Raphael diverted his gaze, gulping from the uneasy feelings he was dealing with. “This is hardly the place and time for that. What if Kyle finds out?” he asked.

“Don’t worry. He won’t,” said Kari as she grabbed a hold of his shirt, bringing him close for a kiss. Raphael finally let go of his inhibitions and totally gave in to her, pushing out any doubts in his head as he kissed her back. He moved her over to the counter and surrendered himself to the passion of the moment.

Meanwhile, Kyle and Steven were still upstairs wondering where Raphael was. “Where’s Raph? Does it really take that long to get a water bottle?” asked Kyle as he began to clean his rifle.

“Eh, maybe he’s helping out with something. He’ll be back,” said Steven.

“Well, I’m parched. I’ll go get it myself,” said Kyle as he placed his rifle on the table. He then stood up and left to find Raphael and his water bottle. He meandered through the house, looking all around for him. “Hey, Raph! You in here?” he asked, poking his head into one of the bedrooms. After coming up with nothing, he continued down the hallway and checked all the rooms for him. He finally came to the master bedroom and decided to check in on Kari before heading downstairs. “Hey, Kari, you done y-,” he said, but before he finished his sentence, he heard rather peculiar sounds coming from behind the bathroom door. It almost sounded like voices. Curious, he placed his head against the door to see if he could make out what was going on.

“Oh, yes! Yes! Just like that!” said Kari, unbeknownst of the eavesdropper outside.

 _‘The f-? Kari, you naughty girl,’_ thought Kyle. He pushed his head harder against the door to listen closer. Suddenly, his heart sank as he heard another voice in the room with her.

“Oh, Kari! You’re amazing! It feels so good!” said Raphael, barely able to contain his pleasure.

 _‘Is that… Raph!? What the hell’s he doing in there with my girl!?’_ thought Kyle as he backed away from the door. He stood there in the bedroom, shocked and paralyzed with betrayal. He was speechless and didn’t know what to do. Lacking the fortitude to barge in there and expose them, he just shook his head in disappointment and went downstairs to find a drink.

Once Raphael and Kari were done having their moment together, they got dressed and prepared to join the others.

“Is it clear?” asked Raphael while still in the bathroom with Kari.

Kari slowly opened the door and peeked into the bedroom. “Yeah. You go out first and then I’ll catch up,” she said.

Raphael nodded and slipped out the bathroom. “I’ll catch ya later,” he said with a content smile before heading back upstairs to the attic.

“Yeah. See ya,” said Kari with a playful wink. She then finished up in the bathroom and went upstairs after him.

After leaving the master bedroom, Raphael made his way back to the attic where Kyle and Steven were. Along the way, he couldn’t help but smile as he reveled in the memory he had just shared with Kari, the pleasant feelings still lingering throughout his body.

“There you are. What took you so long?” asked Steven as Raphael made his way over to them. Kyle had gotten a water bottle on his own and was already back, still fiddling with his rifle.

“Huh? Oh. I was helping Instructor Ren with a few things. Kinda got sidetracked,  
said Raphael, promptly getting a hold of himself.

A few moments later, Kari showed up and sat on the couch next to him. They momentarily exchanged smiles as their gaze met. Kyle noticed it and dropped his rifle on the table before standing up and walking out of the room.

“What was that about?” asked Steven as he watched Kyle leave the room.

Raphael and Kari exchanged worried looks after seeing Kyle leave them so abruptly. “Do you think he knows?” asked Kari, whispering into Raphael’s ear.

“I hope not. Let’s just let him cool off from whatever’s bothering him. If he somehow found out, we’ll deal with it, but for now, let’s just pretend it never happened and drop it, okay?” said Raphael as he whispered back.

Kari gave a nod and backed off, minding her own business for the time being. For the short remainder of the night, everyone hung around the house then met back up in the attic to turn in for the night.

“All right, everyone. Just pick a place to sleep. Doesn’t matter where. Haruhi here was kind enough to supply sleeping bags and extra blankets,” said Carolyn. She and Debbie each took a couch to sleep on while Haruhi took the large sofa for herself. Everyone else had to use sleeping bags spread out along the floor. Once everyone was situated in, Carolyn turned off the lights and took her spot.

As Kyle and Kari were lying down on their open sleeping bag, Kyle scooted up from behind Kari and placed his arms around her. “Do you love me?” he asked out of the blue.

Kari paused then looked over her shoulder. “Of course I do, Hon. Now get some sleep. It’s going to be a busy morning,” she said.

Kyle frowned and turned around, facing away from her. “Whatever,” he said under his breath, curling up to get more comfortable.

#

When it was morning, Raphael awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Kari was hunched over him, nudging him awake. “C’mon, Raph, breakfast is almost ready,” she said.

“Ugh, what time is it?” asked Raphael.

“It’s eight thirty and everyone’s already downstairs,” said Kari.

Raphael yawned and stood up, stretching his arms into the air. “All right. Be down in a sec,” he said.

As she was watching Raphael, Kari smirked and moved closer to him. “You know, we’re all alone up here. How ‘bout a quickie?” she asked, whispering into his ear.

Raphael shook his head and denied the offer out right. “You serious? You’re thinking about that now? Isn’t once good enough?” he asked while still trying to wake up.

“C’mon, don’t you want it? Surely once wasn’t enough,” said Kari as she sat down beside him, rubbing his thigh with her hand.

Raphael kept a hold of himself for the time being and continued to resist her charms. “It wasn’t, but once was pushing it already,” he said.

Kari frowned. “Then how ‘bout a kiss?” she asked, rubbing her cheek against his.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Raphael cracked a smile and surrendered. “Well, I guess I can manage that,” he said, moving closer to her.

One kiss turned into five minutes of making-out as Raphael and Kari shared each other’s tender company. Once they were moderately satisfied, they went downstairs to join the others before they aroused suspicion amongst the group. Jesse and the other prodigies were sitting at the dining table while Yumi and Haruhi finished the final touches on the dishes. Carolyn and Debbie weren’t present yet and were still upstairs washing up in the master bathroom.

As Raphael and Kari entered the room together, Kyle got fed up with the dishonesty and confronted them about it. “So what took you guys so long?” he asked.

They stopped in their tracks then looked to each other. “What do you mean?” asked Kari.

“It doesn’t take that long to wake up a guy, does it? Or did you two get distracted with something?” asked Kyle, eyeing the two as if they were being interrogated.

“What are you getting at?” asked Raphael, fed up with his accusatory tone.

Unable to contain his anger, Kyle lost it and abruptly stood up from my chair. “I mean what are you doing with my girlfriend all of a sudden!? I’ve seen how you and Kari look at each other and have been spending time together,” he said.

“Kyle, there’s nothing going on between us, honestly,” said Kari as calmly as she could.

“Oh don’t talk about honesty! I heard you two last night in the bathroom!” said Kyle, huffing from the resentment. Everyone not involved in the argument looked at each other with surprised looks and continued to listen intently.

Kari looked at him with a guilty look, glancing down at her feet. “In the bathroom? We were, uh, we were…,” she said, choking on her words.

Kyle scoffed at her and clenched his hands into fists. “Were what!?” he asked.

Raphael intervened for Kari and stepped by her side. “We did it, okay. We made love. I’m sorry,” said Raphael, plainly getting it out so they could put an end to their argument.

Before Raphael could blink, Kyle lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, punching him wildly in the face. “You prick!” he said as he continued the onslaught of attacks.

Raphael was caught off guard and didn’t brace himself for the sudden attack. While on the ground, he tried to block the punches and rolled over, positioning himself on top of Kyle. Once on his back, Kyle kicked Raphael off of him and stood back up, panting from the tussle.

As they were struggling, Kari tried to break up the fight and pry the two apart from each other, her eyes watery from the conflict she caused. “Kyle! Stop! It’s not his fault! Listen to me!” she said.

Kyle was too enraged and ignored her, attacking Raphael without restraint. Jesse and the others tried to hold them back, but couldn’t get a hold on them. Eventually, they managed to get Kyle off of Raphael, pulling him away from the fight. Once he was off of him, Kyle drew out his pistol and aimed it at him. Seeing the drawn gun, everyone backed away from Kyle and Raphael, fearing accidentally being shot during the scuffle. Raphael didn’t hesitate and grabbed at the pistol, trying to wrestle it away from him.

As they struggled for control of the gun, Kari got involved and tried to stop it herself. “Please! Stop! We shouldn’t be fighting like this!” she said, recklessly getting in the middle of the fight. Everyone gasped as the sound of a gunshot echoed through the house. They all stood speechless as Kari backed away from the two, gripping the bullet wound in her chest. After looking Kyle in the eye with a frightened expression, she collapsed to the ground and breathed her last breath.

Recovering from the initial shock, Kyle slowly walked over to her, looking down at her motionless corpse. “Kari…?” he asked, still dumbfounded by what just happened.

After breaking out of her daze, Yumi pushed him aside and flipped Kari over on her back, checking her pulse. Feeling nothing, she stood up and shook her head, tears starting to form in her eyes. “She’s… gone. She’s dead, guys,” she said. She and the others looked to Kyle then to Kari’s body, a mix of emotions stirring within them.

Raphael knelt down by Kari’s body and started weeping. “Kari!” he said, bumping his forehead against hers as he completely broke down in tears.

Jesse cursed and turned back to Kyle. “You shot and killed Kari!” she said.

Haruhi shook her head in disbelief then glanced over to Kyle as well. “Wait, what are you doing, Kyle?” she asked.

Kyle remained speechless and took a few steps back away from them, his pistol still gripped in his left hand. He stood at attention and saluted the group with a firm, crisp motion. “It’s been an honor serving with you all,” he said. Before the others could talk him out of it, he raised the pistol to his head and pulled the trigger.

Yumi shrieked as she watched another of her friends take their own life in front of her, a scene more traumatizing than Susan’s accidental suicide. Everyone was on the verge of total a break down as his body slumped to the floor. A few seconds after his body hit the ground, they heard running down the hallway up on the second floor.

Carolyn and Debbie ran to the second floor balcony and looked down, shocked to see both Kyle and Kari dead on the ground. “What’s going on!? What the hell happened!?” asked Carolyn.

Raphael was about to explain everything but everyone opened their mouths at once and started talking to her at the same time. Carolyn couldn’t make out what they were saying, so she told them to be quiet.

“LOCK IT UP! When we get down there, one of you, and _only_ one will tell me what happened,” said Carolyn before she left the balcony with Debbie, hurrying downstairs to assess the situation.

Raphael and the others looked at each other, unsure of who was going to tell her what happened. Yumi was still in shock and diverted her gaze away, not wanting to say anything at the moment. The others were nearly as speechless as her, almost frightened to explain the whole thing to someone as intimidating as Carolyn.

“Who’s going to tell her?” asked Jesse, looking to the remaining members of their dwindling group. They all looked at each other, reluctant to volunteer.

As Carolyn and Debbie got closer, Steven volunteered to speak for the group. “I’ll do it. I’ll tell her,” he said.

When the two instructors arrived, Carolyn was fuming with frustration. She got a closer look at Kari’s body then walked over to Kyle’s. “What- What happened?” she asked, completely confused and aggravated about what had just occurred.

Steven nervously stepped forward and explained the situation on behalf of the group. Carolyn stood flabbergasted, going over everything he had told her in her head. She glared at Raphael and stomped over to him, pulling him up from the floor and smacking him harshly across the face.

“Are you happy now!? I know your girlfriend is dead, but you don’t need to go stealing another one, and from your own friend?” said Carolyn, staring him dead in the eye.

“It’s wasn’t like that, ma’am! It wasn’t his fault! Kari said so herself,” said Yumi in Raphael’s defense.

“Shut up, Baiorin! Prodigy Comet, because you lacked restraint, two of your fellow classmates -your friends- are now dead. What do you have to say for yourself?” asked Carolyn, her gaze unyielding as she stared him down, but he remained silent, looking gloomily at the ground. She grabbed him by the shirt and shook him. “Well!?” she asked, but he continued to avoid making eye contact with her and remained silent.

“That’s enough, Carolyn!” said Debbie as she made her way over to them removed Carolyn’s grip on Raphael. “Yumi’s probably right. The fault is not entirely his, so you shouldn’t blame him for what happened.”

“But if he knew of Prodigy Straatmore’s feelings for Luft, he should’ve stopped her before things got out of hand,” said Carolyn while still glaring at Raphael.

“Perhaps, but Raphael’s been through a lot. We all have. They were just trying to relieve some stress. They’re still teenagers, Carolyn,” said Debbie, trying to diffuse the situation.

Carolyn looked at Debbie then glanced back to Raphael, giving him one last look of discontent before storming off further into the house.

“Don’t worry, Raph. I’ll talk to her,” said Debbie before heading after Carolyn.

Once Debbie was gone, Raphael took a seat on the couch, sobbing with his face in his hands. Steven sighed and decided to take command while the instructors were away.

“Yumi and Haruhi, scavenge for anything useful off of Kyle and Kari then find some sheets to cover their bodies. Jesse, could you head upstairs and use your rifle to make sure the zombies didn’t hear the gunshots? I’ll try and see if I can bring Raph around,” said Steven.

Yumi and Haruhi nodded and went to collect what they could off their dead friends’ bodies. Jesse grabbed her sniper rifle and made her way upstairs to scout the surrounding area while Steven sat down next to his buddy, Raphael.

“Dude, you all right?” asked Steven, turning towards Raphael.

“What do you think?” said Raphael as he looked up from his hands at Steven.

“If there’s anything you want to talk about, just let me know. Will you be okay?” asked Steven.

Raphael sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Steven. Two more of our friends are dead, and this time not by zombies, but from our incompetence,” he said with a heavy sigh.

Steven patted him on the back then stood up. “Don’t worry man, it wasn’t your fault,” he said.

Upon hearing that, Raphael abruptly stood up and confronted him. “Don’t say that! Don’t put all the blame on Kari and Kyle! I’m just as guilty as they are for what happened,” he said, nearly in tears.

Yumi and Haruhi stopped what they were doing to look up and see what was going on. Yumi wanted to try and help out, but Haruhi pulled her back, shaking her head so Steven could handle it.

“Okay, man. Just chill,” said Steven, not retaliating so he didn’t escalate things.

Raphael exhaled and took a few steps around the living room. “Sorry,” he said.

“C’mon, let’s get some breakfast. You’ll feel better,” said Steven before standing up to walk with Raphael into the kitchen.

“I’ll help you guys once Yumi and I are done here,” said Haruhi as she went to find sheets with Yumi.

After Kyle’s and Kari’s bodies were taken care of, and after Carolyn cooled off, everyone met up for breakfast together in the kitchen. The meal was rather quiet as they were too focused on eating, wanting to forget what had just happened. Raphael didn’t have an appetite and pushed his food around with his fork.

“You should eat, Raph. You need your strength. Plus, I didn’t slave over a hot stove for nothing,” said Yumi with a smile.

Raphael sighed and skewered a piece of sausage with his fork. “Okay,” he said. He gave her a weak smile then slowly started eating.

“That was a delicious meal. Thank you, Baiorin, Okane,” said Carolyn as she finished eating. Everyone else had just about finished as well, setting their utensils down on the table. After she wiped her mouth with a napkin, Carolyn reached for her vest and rifle. “All right, everyone, gear up and grab whatever supplies you can. We’re moving out ASAP. We need to find rescue while we still can.”

The prodigies nodded and started putting on their vests and other pieces of gear. Haruhi and Yumi found some backpacks and filled them with water, food, and medical supplies. The others checked their weapons and waited with Carolyn and Debbie by the front door.


	4. Just the Two of Us

Jesse was by the front window, checking the surrounding area for zombies. “Looks clear, ma’am. Now would be a good time to head on out,” she said. By then, everyone was together by the front door.

“Roger that. Okay, stay behind me and keep up. We’re moving towards the PT station. Hopefully we can catch a ride into Huntington,” said Carolyn. She turned towards the door and opened it up, keeping her rifle raised as she exited the house.

The prodigies followed closely with Debbie picking up the rear, all of them keeping wary for enemy movement. The walk back to the platform was easy enough, since there were no zombies around. Once they got to the top, they waited anxiously for a transport heading back into the city.

“It’s been too long. Maybe the monorail has finally gone offline,” said Debbie, looking into the distance for any signs of a railcar.

“The electricity is still on. The lights and track are still active,” said Jesse.

“Wait, I think I see it. Yeah, it’s coming,” said Steven.

The group raised their weapons and pointed them towards the monorail car. As it came to a halt, they trained their guns on the doors as they opened, ready to put down any zombies they might encounter. Seeing that it was all clear, they piled in and waited for the monorail to proceed.

On the way into the city, the prodigies looked outside of the monorail’s windows to see the city in ruins. The streets were littered with abandoned vehicles and bodies scattered amongst debris. There were roadside fires and clouds of smoke rising from wrecked cars. As they were viewing the scene through the safety of the monorail, a large explosion in the distance rocked the car slightly.

“What the heck was that?” asked Jesse.

As soon as she said that, the automated monorail speakers came to life. “Emergency. There has been a power outage in your sector. Back-up power initiated. Please safely depart from the monorail at the next stop. Thank you for choosing Public Transportation,” said the voice from the speakers.

“Shoot. How far are we from the base?” asked Carolyn.

Debbie looked at the monorail’s route and found where they were. “Not that far, ma’am. Just a few more stops and we should be at the west entrance,” she said.

“Looks like we’re hot-footing it there. Prodigies, prepare to disembark,” said Carolyn.

Once the monorail came to a halt, they quickly departed and secured the platform they were on. Most of the zombies they saw were concentrated near the center of the city. They were currently near the city’s edge, so there weren’t as many zombies around. Weapons raised, they headed down the stairs to street side and continued to the base on foot. Conversation was kept to a minimum as to not attract any unnecessary attention from nearby zombies. They also refrained from shooting if they could avoid it. Ammunition was at a premium since they left the academy’s armory, so they had to use it sparingly. They passed the first couple monorail platforms without so much as a single shot fired. Since they were in unknown territory, they moved at a slower pace to make sure they didn’t miss any threats around them. The last thing they needed was finding themselves in a dire situation because they were rushing and missed something.

“Don’t worry, everyone. I can see the base. We’re almost there,” said Carolyn.

They hurried along until they saw a military APC crashed into the side of a building. Wondering if there were any wounded or anything salvageable, they made their way over to see if there was anyone they could help.

“What do you think happened?” asked Debbie, examining the wreckage as they walked closer to the vehicle.

“Who knows? I doubt zombies could do any damage to an APC. We’ll see when we get there,” said Carolyn.

As they approached the vehicle, they all went speechless as they recognized the inhabitants inside. It was Jonathan’s APC and there were bodies scattered all around the wreckage. Raphael and the others immediately hurried and went to see if anyone was still alive. Around the back hatch to the vehicle, there were bodies of some of the prodigies from Jonathan’s group.

Carolyn went into the cargo hold and found Darr dead along with a couple more prodigies. Cursing under her breath, she went back outside to see what caused the crash. “Status?” she asked, lighting a cigarette in her mouth.

“All the prodigies from before are dead. Darr is also KIA. I didn’t see Han, Jonathan, or Capps, so either they’re still alive and on the run or dead somewhere else,” said Debbie.

“What about the vehicle? Any damage?” asked Carolyn.

“Now that’s the weird part. They’re large gashes and scratch marks all over the APC. The bodies are all mangled up too, so much so it couldn’t be the work of regular zombies. And that’s the thing, I don’t see any dead zombies around. Surely they would’ve killed at least one or two by running them over when they crashed, or when they tried to escape out the back,” said Debbie after examining the crash site.

“This isn’t adding up. If the survivors did make it out, they would’ve headed towards the base, right? But I found a set of tracks leading into the city, away from the base,” said Steven. Everyone looked at him and went to see what he was looking at.

“These are their tracks?” asked Carolyn, moving over to get a better look at what Steven was looking at.

“I think so. I see three sets of tracks heading into the city, but there’s another set and I’m not sure what to make of it,” said Steven.

Carolyn bent down to examine the muddy footprint left on the road. “Maybe it’s nothing. Just a smudge,” she said.

“Not likely, ma’am. It has a set reminiscent to an animal or something, though I’ve never seen this before on any of my hunting trips,” said Steven.

“So are you saying they were being chased by something?” asked Carolyn.

“Could be, ma’am. That’s why they didn’t bother trying to head towards the base. They just went in one direction and ran for it,” said Steven.

“Well, I hope they made it. I wouldn’t want to face whatever was chasing them,” said Carolyn.

“Um, ma’am, I think you spoke too soon…,” said Jesse as she looked up at the building in front of them, seeing something crawling down the side of it.

It was shaped like a frog, except it was brownish-crimson in color and had large claws. It was moving on all four limbs and easily descended along a straight vertical surface. Everyone looked up in horror as they saw what she was looking at. Steven cursed out loud as he saw the creature, gripping his weapon with fright.

“Should we fire at while it still doesn’t notice us?” asked Yumi with a frightened tone, raising her sidearm.

“No! Hold your fire. We don’t know what this thing is capable of,” said Carolyn, motioning for the others to stand down. The creature continued down the side of the building then stopped, moving its head back and forth as if it was sensing something.

“Does it see us?” asked Haruhi.

“I don’t know, but it sure is ugly,” said Debbie.

“Do you think it’s from the R&D building? Like some sort of experiment?” asked Raphael.

Suddenly, the creature started howling, as if it was calling for someone, or something.

Before they knew it, more of the creatures started appearing from on top of the buildings around them. They jumped from rooftop to rooftop, surrounding Raphael and the others.

“Yeah, I think they see us. Everyone, back to back, and no sudden movements. Prepare to fire and only shoot at what you can hit,” said Carolyn as she kept wary of their imposing foes.

They hurried and huddled together, keeping a keen eye on their targets. There were three creatures that they could see and they were slowly making their way down the sides of the buildings. Everyone readied themselves and waited for the creatures to get within range of their weapons. Without warning, the creatures suddenly leaped from the buildings and headed straight for the group. The prodigies panicked, but got a hold of themselves, opening fire as the creatures got dangerously close. Their armored hides provided sufficient protection and they landed right in the middle of the group, splitting it in two as Raphael and Haruhi were stranded away from everyone else. One of the creatures turned towards the two and dashed for them.

“Run! Haruhi, run!” said Raphael as he turned tail to get away. Their weapons weren’t doing any damage to the creatures, so they found it best to flee.

“One of them is going after them! We need to help!” said Yumi as she watched one of the creatures chase after Raphael and Haruhi.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we have problems of our own right in front of us,” said Carolyn, emptying her clip into the remaining two creatures. Once they were out of ammunition, the creatures started chasing after them. “Run! Head for the base! We’ll look for Comet and Okane once we get reinforcements!” she said, covering the others as they sprinted away.

As they ran in the opposite direction, Raphael and Haruhi hurried into the city to find a place to hide from their pursuer.

“Raph, what are we going to do!?” asked Haruhi.

“Here! Follow me!” said Raphael, veering off the road and hurrying into an adjacent building. He and Haruhi rushed through the front gate and through the lobby, heading straight for the elevators. “C’mon. C’mon!” he said, furiously pushing the “up” button.

“It’s getting closer!” said Haruhi as she tried to keep it away with her sidearm.

The elevator opened and they piled in, spamming the “close door” button. The creature was about to lunge in when the door finally sealed shut. Once it was closed, the elevator started ascending to the top floor, the one Raphael hastily pushed.

“There. We should be okay now,” said Raphael, relieved that they made it all right.

“Do you think we’re safe?” asked Haruhi while panting from all the adrenaline and fear.

“I guess so. I doubt that thing will be able to track us if we get off on a random floor,” said Raphael, pushing one of the top levels before the penthouse. Once the elevator reached the floor, they got off and walked down the hall. They were in a high-rise apartment building, around fifty stories tall, and it was one of the more expensive apartment buildings in the downtown area.

“So now what?” asked Haruhi as she looked to Raphael.

Raphael picked a random room and started kicking at the door. “Let’s just wait a bit and think this out,” he said. After the third kick, the door was finally forced open. The two of them quickly went into the apartment and had their pistols at the ready.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” asked Haruhi, but there was no response.

“If there’s no one here, let’s check it for zombies before we let our guard down,” said Raphael after closing the door behind them.

Haruhi nodded and followed his lead as they cleared the apartment. It seemed to belong to a single guy based on the décor and the items strewn about. Once it was clear, they sighed with relief and holstered their weapons.

Raphael made sure the front door was locked then went into the kitchen for a drink. “I hope the water still works,” he said, grabbing a clean glass.

“We should stay here for now. We don’t know how long it will take to get to the base by ourselves. There’s no way I’m going out there in the dark with those things running about,” said Haruhi, looking out the window. She was about to close the curtains when she heard gunfire in the distance. She reopened the curtains and looked around to see if she could spot who was shooting.

“Do you see anyone?” asked Raphael while making his way over to her.

“Naw. But it sounded like a heavy caliber machine gun. It couldn’t be Jesse and the others, could it?” asked Haruhi.

“Maybe they found help from the base. I hope everyone’s okay,” said Raphael. They closed the blinds and went into the kitchen for an early dinner. All the running and fearing for their lives had worked up quite an appetite between the two.

Haruhi went over to the fridge to inspect the food available. “Man, for a single guy, there’s lots of fresh produce and meat here. Does he actually cook his own meals?” she asked herself, surprised by the diverse stock.

“You’d be surprised what us guys can do. We’re not _that_ helpless,” said Raphael with a chuckle.

“So what do you feel like eating? There’s plenty of ingredients here to cook up almost anything,” said Haruhi as she perused through the fridge.

Raphael sat for a moment, thinking about what he was really hungry for. He hadn’t had any pasta dishes in a while, so he thought he try asking for that. “Do you know any pasta recipes?” he asked, licking his lips at the thought of it.

“Pasta? You kidding? That stuff’s easy. What did you have in mind?” asked Haruhi, looking over to him.

“Uh, I don’t know. Surprise me,” said Raphael.

“Fine,” said Haruhi, thinking up a recipe in her head before gathering ingredients from the fridge and pantry.

“Do you need any help?” asked Raphael as he watched her start.

“I don’t know. Can you do anything?” asked Haruhi with a scoff.

“Not much. But just tell me what to do and I’ll try my best,” said Raphael.

“All right, c’mere,” said Haruhi, motioning him into the kitchen.

Raphael smiled and went over to her, helping out the best he could. He picked up cooking pretty easily and learned a lot about it from Haruhi’s instruction. He was able to practice several techniques and experiment with all sorts of ingredients at their disposal. When the meal was ready, they got their share and sat at the dining table, facing each other.

“Hey, thanks for the meal,” said Raphael, looking from his plate to Haruhi.

“Uh huh. No problem,” said Haruhi without looking up from her dish.

“Where did you learn to cook like that anyway?” asked Raphael before taking his first bite.

Haruhi sighed, twirling her fork into her noodles. “Eh, from my parents- I mean, Susan’s parents. Susan and I used to tag-team making a dinner… when she was still alive,” she said.

“What’s that matter, Haruhi? It seems like you’ve been trying to avoid me all this time?” asked Raphael.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just trying to stay alive. That’s all,” said Haruhi.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Raphael with a frown.

Haruhi remained silent, sitting motionless in her chair as she began to glare at him. She then abruptly placed her fork on the table and stood up, walking over to him and smacking him across the cheek. “You’re a curse! They’re all dead because of you! Susan, my sister and the love of my life, is dead!” she said.

After rubbing his cheek, Raphael dropped his utensils on the plate and stood up, standing face-to-face with her. “What!? A curse!? What do I have to with all this!?” he asked.

“Don’t you get it? They all died because they had some sort of relationship with you in the past. Amy was the obvious one; she was your girlfriend. But Kari had a crush on you and Susan dated you! The only reason why Yumi, Jesse, and I are alive is because we had none of those feelings for you!” said Haruhi.

Raphael just stood there, dumbstruck by what she was saying and unable to comprehend where she was coming from. “Do you realize how stupid you sound right now? That’s all nonsense what you’re saying. A curse? I hadn’t figured you to be the superstitious type,” he said.

Haruhi sneered at him and attempted to smack him again, but Raphael grabbed a hold of her arm before she could follow through. “Ugh! You brute!” she said, trying to pull her arm away.

Raphael was about to grip her arm tighter, but loosened up and let her go. “I’m sorry,” he said, glancing away.

Withdrawing her hand, Haruhi was going to smack him again for stopping her before, but then she noticed the tears running down his cheeks.

“You think you’re the only who’s lost someone dear to them. They were all my friends too, Haruhi. And Amy- Amy was my soulmate. I loved her the same way you loved Susan. I understand what you’re going through,” said Raphael as he tried to fight back his tears.

By then, Haruhi was shedding tears as well, letting out all the pain she had been holding in due to the loss of her sister. She completely broke down and rested her head against Raphael’s chest, heaving as her eyes flooded with tears down her cheeks. He brought her close and tried to console her, placing his arms around her as he cried as well.

“It’s okay, Haruhi. Just let it out,” said Raphael in a hushed tone.

They both continued to grieve for their loved ones as they remained in each other’s arms. After a while, they regained their composure and let go of each other, giving one another a nod. For the rest of the evening, they explored the apartment and eagerly waited for some kind of rescue. In the meantime, they watched a movie together on the expansive entertainment system, complete with surround sound, though, they kept the volume down to a minimum. When it came time for bed, and with no signs of help arriving, they headed for the bedroom to turn in for the night.

“Uh uh. Where do you think you’re going?” asked Haruhi, looking to Raphael as she opened the door to the bedroom.

“To bed,” said Raphael as he gestured to the bedroom.

“Well, not in here you’re not. I want to sleep on the bed. Last night wasn’t exactly a good night’s sleep, laying on that sofa in the attic,” said Haruhi after crossing her arms over her chest.

“And sleeping on the floor was supposed to be better?” asked Raphael, furrowing his brow.

“I’ve got the bed. No discussion,” said Haruhi, not budging from her position.

Seeing as Haruhi wasn’t going to back down, Raphael looked to the floor in a disappointed manner then turned around, heading back into the living room.

Before Raphael left, Haruhi grasped his shoulder with a sigh. “Hey, sorry about slapping you earlier. You were right. I wasn’t talking any sense back then. I had no right blaming everything on you,” she said.

“It’s all right, Haruhi. By the way, I did have sort of a thing with Jesse, just to let you know,” said Raphael with a devious smirk. “So I’m not exactly a curse to everyone I was involved with.”

Before stepping through the doorway into the bedroom, Haruhi stopped and slowly turned back to him. “What? You did? No way,” she said.

“It’s true. I could tell you all about it, but it’s a long story,” said Raphael, still with a smirk.

“C’mon, tell me about it,” said Haruhi, facing completely towards him.

“Well, you know. It’s late and it would be kinda hard to tell you the story from all the way in the living room,” said Raphael with a chuckle.

Haruhi glared at him then opened the door fully. “Fine. You can come in. But you’re not sleeping with me. Just tell me the story then get out,” she said.

Smirking, Raphael nodded and followed Haruhi into the room. They both sat on the bed together as she listened to his story about him and Jesse. Haruhi was enjoying the little anecdote, listening intently to the story about the period after he broke up with Amy.

“And that’s that. Crazy, huh?” said Raphael once he was done storytelling.

“That was rather entertaining, but I guess that’s typical of Jesse,” said Haruhi, somewhat uneasy by hearing the intimate details about her friends.

“Yeah. It was fun while it lasted,” said Raphael, still smiling about the past memories with Jesse.

Raphael was about to get up, but Haruhi grabbed a hold of his sleeve before he could. “Hey, you can sleep with me… if you want,” she said, not quite meeting his gaze.

Raphael looked to her after blinking a couple times, pausing to try and discern what she had just said. “Wait, but I thought you weren’t into guys,” he said.

Haruhi wasn’t sure what he meant by that and took a moment to think about what he said. Shortly after, it clicked in her head and she knew exactly what he was talking about. With a scoff, she let go of his sleeve. “Ugh, not like that! I meant we could share the bed tonight. It’s bigger than I thought, so if we put a pillow between us, there should still be enough room to sleep comfortably. What’s the matter with you?” she said after sneering at him.

Raphael glanced away, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Uh, sorry. It just sounded like- never mind. Thanks. I wouldn’t mind sharing the bed with you so I can get a good night’s sleep,” he said.

“Just shut up and turn off the lights,” said Haruhi as she got situated on her side of the bed. She took one of the spare pillows on the bed and placed it in the center of the bed.

Raphael smiled and closed the door to the bedroom, locking it just in case something happened to find its way into the apartment. He took off his tac-vest and placed it next to Haruhi’s on the ground before turning off the lights. After flipping the switch, there was just enough ambient light for him to make it over to the bed and take his place on the other side.

“Before we turn in, I’ve gotta know. What were you and Kari doing in the bathroom anyway?” asked Haruhi, facing away from him on the bed.

Raphael paused, cringing slightly as he remembered Kari’s lifeless body from earlier. “Do we have to talk about that?” he asked after laying his weary head on his pillow.

“I was just wondering. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” said Haruhi.

Raphael thought it over in his head and decided to tell her anyway, just so he could get it off his chest. “It all happened so quickly. I went to drop off the towels like you told me to. So I knocked on the bathroom door and after getting permission, I opened it and happened to see her naked. She invited me in and said she wanted to talk to me. I tried to decline, but she was too persuasive,” he said, struggling to get it all out.

“Persuasive, huh? Let me guess. She just stood there naked and you gave in to her feminine charm, right? But that doesn’t sound like something Kari would do, however,” said Haruhi, skeptical about the details of Raphael’s story.

“I agree, but she wasn’t acting normal. She was worried that she might die a virgin during the zombie outbreak. So… she wanted to get with me to- you know, do it,” said Raphael.

“And you obliged her?” asked Haruhi, looking over her shoulder at him.

Raphael hesitated, feeling very awkward due to the situation he was in. He gathered himself and answered her. “Well, yeah… I did,” he said as he tried to suppress his emotions.

Haruhi was speechless at his confession, though slightly intrigued. “You two did it in my bathroom, right under our noses?” she asked.

“Yeah… sorry about that,” said Raphael, an embarrassing smile tugging at his mouth.

Haruhi smirked and shook her head in disbelief. “No, that’s kinda… kinky, actually. How was it?” she asked, not caring if it was their friend they were talking about.

Raphael smiled as well, sighing as he reminisced about the intimate experience he shared with Kari in the bathroom. “It was amazing, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” he said.

“Yeah, I bet. Was that really your first time?” asked Haruhi, turning fully towards him to continue the conversation.

“Amazingly, it was. And don’t sound so surprised. Contrary to what you might’ve heard, I never did it with Amy,” said Raphael, feeling a sharp pain in his heart as he said that.

Haruhi rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. “Eh, I believe you,” she said, saddened that she never got to express her true love to her soulmate either.

They laid together in silence for a few minutes, soaking in their conversation and grief. Suddenly, Raphael broke the stillness.

“Hey, Haruhi?” asked Raphael.

“What is it?” asked Haruhi after a heavy sigh.

Raphael paused, breathing steadily before speaking again. “Thanks,” he said.

Hearing that, Haruhi smiled though Raphael couldn’t see it. “You’re welcome, I guess. Just don’t think there’s anything between us,” she said.

“Don’t worry. I don’t,” said Raphael.

“You know, I like to best sleep when there’s no sound, so that means no more talking,” said Haruhi as she turned away from him.

“All right. Got it. Zipping my lips,” said Raphael as he turned his back to her as well.


	5. Left for Dead

The next morning, Raphael awoke to his natural body clock. He slowly opened his eyes to see Haruhi right in front of him. The pillow that was supposed to be between them was nowhere in sight and her face was mere inches away from his. Raphael blinked a few times to focus his eyes then realized she was that close. She was still fast asleep and snoring, drool dripping from the side of her mouth. He yawned and rolled on his back, stretching his arms above him. His loud yawn made Haruhi stir and slowly woke her up.

Haruhi awoke with eyes wide open and sat up. “Why are you so close? What happened to the pillow that was between us? Did you purposely move it?” she asked, glaring at him through her hazy, morning eyes.

Noticing Haruhi wake up, Raphael looked over towards her. “Hey, it wasn’t me. It was like that when I woke up,” he said before smiling. “Also, did you know you snore?”

“Me? Snore? Please,” said Haruhi, rolling her eyes.

Raphael chuckled and pointed to her. “And you’re drooling,” he said.

Haruhi blushed and promptly wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “Geez. You don’t have to stare,” she said.

“Sorry. It’s just funny to see you like this. You’re usually so fashionable when I see you,” said Raphael.

“Well, during a zombie apocalypse, I can make certain exceptions. Cleanliness and personal appearance isn’t exactly a top priority when you’re trying to just stay alive,” said Haruhi as she held her head. “Uh, man, what time is it?”

Raphael glanced at his watch after pulling up his sleeve. “Wow. It’s almost ten. That’s the latest I’ve woken up in a long time,” he said.

“Ten? Dang. It’s almost lunch. I’ll whip us up something quick to eat before we head on out,” said Haruhi after a quick yawn.

Once they were out of bed, Haruhi prepared a quick lunch for the both of them. After they had their fill, they got their tac-vests back on and readied themselves to leave the apartment. They made sure their weapons were loaded and ready to fire.

“Are you ready to go?” asked Raphael.

Haruhi exhaled and readied her pistol. “Ready,” she said.

Raphael looked through the door’s peekhole and slowly opened it up, making sure there weren’t any enemies lurking in the hallway. Once he gave the all clear, he moved into the hallway along with Haruhi. They made their way down to the ground floor via the elevator and traversed through the lobby. All the way there, they were sweating with fright and kept anxiously searching around for any signs of the creature that attacked them the day prior. Once they made it to the front entrance, they stopped to make sure it was safe enough to continue on.

“Looks clear, right?” asked Raphael as he scanned their surroundings.

“The street looks clear, but those creatures aren’t just limited to running on the ground. For all we know, they could be right above us,” said Haruhi, gulping with fright as she refused to look up.

Raphael sighed and turned towards her. “Well, let’s just hope that’s not the case then, kay?” he said.

As they were looking through the front door, they saw an army armored vehicle approaching them. They looked at each other with relieved grins and burst out the front door, waving their arms to get their attention. The vehicle came to a sudden halt as they saw Raphael and Haruhi approach them. The gunner on top of the vehicle directed the turret towards them and prepared to fire.

“Halt! Put down your weapons and identify yourselves!” said the soldier manning the gunner position on the truck.

Raphael and Haruhi stopped and calmly dropped their weapons, making sure not to make any sudden movements that would prompt the gunner to fire on them. “I’m Prodigy Raphael Comet and this is Prodigy Haruhi Okane. We’re from Centre Ridge Academy. We were traveling with a larger group when we got separated by these- creatures. You gotta help us,” he said.

“Traveling with a larger group? You mean Captain Ren’s group?” asked the gunner.

“Yes! That’s the group. Are they okay!?” asked Haruhi.

“Yeah, they’re fine. We picked them up yesterday afternoon. They’re back at base. C’mon, we’ll take you to them. She mentioned to keep an eye out for you two while we patrolled the city streets,” said the gunner.

“Oh, thank you. Thank you so much,” said Raphael. He and Haruhi picked up their guns and hurried over to the truck, entering the vehicle through the trunk.

“How did you two survive the night with those things roaming about?” asked one of the soldiers in the truck.

“We ran into the apartment building and rode the elevator up to one of the top floors. Then we barricaded ourselves in one of the apartments,” said Raphael.

“Where did you get those uniforms and gear? That’s not standard issue for prodigies, right?” asked another soldier.

“It’s a long story,” said Haruhi.

The truck continued down the road and made a turn, heading straight for the base. Once they were past the security checkpoint, they dropped Raphael and Haruhi off at the barracks where the other prodigies were.

“Hey, thanks again for the ride!” said Raphael to soldiers in the truck as it drove off. Once they were gone, he and Haruhi made their way into the barracks.

Inside, Steven and the others were huddled around a couple bunks talking with Debbie. Jesse looked up from the group and noticed Raphael and Haruhi enter the building.

“Hey! They made it! It’s Raph and Haruhi!” said Jesse.

The group turned their heads and saw them walking towards them. They all smiled with relief and hurried to greet them.

“Raph! Haruhi! It’s so good to see you both,” said Yumi, giving each of them a hug.

“It’s good to be back, guys,” said Haruhi with a smile.

“How the heck did you guys make it out of there alive?” asked Jesse, patting Haruhi on the shoulder.

Raphael and Haruhi each took a seat on the bunk and explained it all to the group, leaving out certain personal parts that were better kept between the two of them.

“It sounds like you had it easier than we did, staying in that luxurious sounding apartment. We had to fight off against two more of those things until the armored truck came along and mowed them down with their fifty. Then we had to help around the base and sleep on these cursed bunks,” said Jesse, poking at the bunk she was sitting on.

“It’s not that bad. What do you expect you’d be doing once you go on active duty, Jesse?” asked Debbie.

“Yeah, well- Whatever, ma’am,” said Jesse, pouting slightly.

“By the way, where’s Instructor Ren, ma’am?” asked Haruhi.

“She’s in a staff meeting with General Diez,” said Debbie.

“Diez is alive?” asked Raphael.

“Yeah. He’s leading all the military forces around here, well, except for those Blackwatch guys. They seem to be operating independently from the regular forces. The base’s senior leadership are all dead, so that leaves Diez as the ranking officer,” said Debbie.

“I should go talk to him. Do you know where he is?” asked Raphael

“Sure. I can take you there if you want,” said Debbie.

Raphael nodded and followed Debbie out of the barracks, heading for the command tent. Haruhi stayed with the other prodigies and talked more about the apartment she and Raphael stayed at.

Meanwhile, Carolyn was in the command tent along with some of Rodrigo’s top officers. The meeting had already started and she was just listening in as the general and his subordinates discussed their situation.

“General, the city is lost. It’s just a matter of time before this area is overrun as well,” said Colonel Vears, commander of the Army component stationed there.

“We need to evacuate while we still can. You need to recall all our forces to the Cutlass and get everyone into the air,” said another officer named Thatcher, commander of the C.S. Cutlass. “At least that way, we can continue operations without having to worry about threats on the ground, especially those… _things_.”

Rodrigo took a moment to think over his options. “I hear you commander, but they’ve grounded every ship docked at this base and they won’t send another to evacuate us. Even if we did try leaving, I doubt those Blackwatch people won’t let us go so easily,” he said.

“General?” asked Colonel Vears.

“This Blackwatch unit is armed to the teeth with the latest military gear and technology, and I’m sure that a unit from R&D wouldn’t come so well equipped if they didn’t plan on using it,” said Rodrigo.

“But they’re here to combat the infestation, right, General?” asked Commander Thatcher.

“And how much _combating_ have you seen them do lately? It’s _our_ men and women on the front lines, not theirs. All they’ve been doing is monitoring and directing our forces from afar. What I think- is that they’re here to make sure no one leaves this city, or planet for that matter, military or civilian,” said Rodrigo. The other officers in the room had a look of skepticism on their faces, but Rodrigo had a point.

“So what are your orders, General?” asked Colonel Vears.

“Withdraw our forces from the city. All of the civilians should’ve been evacuated already, so there’s no need to put more of our lives at risk. The C.S. Cutlass is the closest ship and is ready to take-off at a moment’s notice. Inform all ground units to head to the Cutlass, ASAP,” said Rodrigo.

“What about Blackwatch, General?” asked Commander Thatcher.

Rodrigo frowned, tapping his chin. “We’ll ignore them for now, but if they give us a hard time, I’ll deal with them. Now get a move on. You have your orders,” he said.

All the officers acknowledged him, but before they could leave, a dreadful atmosphere came over them as a certain person entered the tent. “What orders would that be, _General_?” asked the person who had just entered.

“You better watch your tone, _Blackwatch_. You’re talking to a general, so maintain discipline,” said Colonel Vears as he eyed the individual entering the tent.

“For the umpteenth time, my name- is Agent Sands,” said the newcomer. He was a husky dressed in a black Research and Development uniform, covered by a dark Blackwatch trench coat. He casually walked up to the officers and took off his gloves, placing them on the table.

Carolyn eyed him with an irritated look and confronted him. “ _Agent Sands_? _The_ Agent Sands?” she asked with a condescending tone.

Agent Sands looked over at Carolyn and scowled conceitedly. “Have we met?” he asked, looking her in the eye.

“Not in person, but we’ve talked over the phone. I’m Capt. Carolyn Ren, the person you cut off after you found out Colonel Noland was dead, you prick,” said Carolyn.

“Oh, the instructor from the academy. Yes, I remember you,” said Agent Sands.

Carolyn was about to punch the Blackwatch agent, but Rodrigo stopped her. “That’s enough, Captain. Agent Sands, what do you want?” he asked.

“Why the hostility? We’re all on the same side, right?” asked Agent Sands.

“If we’re on the same side, then why is it that we’re the ones dying out there and you and your men aren’t?” asked Commander Thatcher.

“Who’s to say we don’t have any casualties? Anyway, General, about these… _orders_. What are they? So that I can divert my men appropriately as needed,” said Agent Sands, turning fully towards Rodrigo.

“They’re none of your concern, Agent,” said Rodrigo as he glared at him.

“You’re mistaken. _Everything_ is my concern. You forget, General. Blackwatch is in control of this operation, not _you_ … nor the Army… nor Fleet. Just us, which makes me the highest authority here, _General_ ,” said Agents Sands with a sneer.

“Fine. If you have to know, I was discussing reinforcing the base’s checkpoints with the remaining units in the city. You do know that the city is lost and that we’re eventually going to be overrun. Right?” said Rodrigo.

Agent Sands looked him straight in the eye and chuckled defiantly at his condescending tone. “Yes, General, I am well aware of the situation. But we all know that wasn’t exactly what you were talking about,” he said.

“More or less,” said Rodrigo.

“Don’t take me for a fool, Diez. They wouldn’t have put me in charge of this operation if I was a complete pushover. I _know_ that you are planning to break quarantine without authorization via the C.S. Cutlass,” said Agent Sands as he eyed Rodrigo closely. “Don’t bother. No one is getting off the ground without our say so, and I mean _no one_.”

Rodrigo smirked and walked up to the Blackwatch Agent. “ _No one_ , huh? What you really mean is that no one who isn’t Blackwatch is leaving this place. You’re going to pack up and leave us here to die before this base and the rest of the area is overrun, am I right, _Agent Sands_? A sort of containment protocol you guys have in mind, I’m guessing,” he said.

Agent Sands nodded, impressed at his deduction. “In a nutshell, yes,” he said with a rather satisfied smirk. “But don’t worry so much. Everyone will have their chance. That is, after we clear them through an extensive screening process.”

Before he could continue, Carolyn kneed the agent in the stomach then followed up with a punch straight to his jaw, knocking him out. “Bastard! And to think you guys were trying to help. We’ll all be dead by the time that happens,” she said, moving the hair out her eyes before turning to Rodrigo. “It’s now or never, General. We can still get everyone in the air. If what he said is true, the military and evacuation is going to need all the help they can get.”

Rodrigo walked over to Agent Sands then looked to his officers. “You all know what to do. Good luck, gentlemen,” he said. His subordinates rendered a salute then left the tent, hurrying to withdraw their forces from the zombie-infested city. Before Carolyn left the tent, Rodrigo pulled her aside momentarily to address her personally. “Carolyn, I’m putting you in charge of those prodigies you saved from the academy. You’re responsible for getting them to the ship alive, each and every one of them,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “And Carolyn, find Raphael and keep him safe. I’ve already let one of my best friends down with the death of his daughter, Amy. Please don’t let me disappoint the other.”

Carolyn nodded and saluted, fully understanding her duty. “I understand, General,” she said. Once she left the tent, she broke into a run to find Raphael and the others. _‘This plan is severely flawed. Those Blackwatch assholes are going to catch on sooner or later when the lines start thinning. Things might start getting combative if that happens. I just need to get the prodigies to the ship before the fighting starts,’_ she thought to herself as she ran. She hurried through the various tents and finally found Debbie walking along with Raphael. “Comet! You’re alive!?” she said, coming up to him.

“Yes, ma’am. Haruhi’s here too. Where’s General Diez?” asked Raphael.

“No time. We have to get the others,” said Carolyn.

“What’s the rush, ma’am? Did something happen?” asked Debbie.

“I’ll tell you on the way. Now let’s go,” said Carolyn as she took a few steps. She then heard gunshots in the direction of the command tent. “That’s not good...”

Inside the command tent, Rodrigo fell to the ground with five bullet holes in his back, gasping for air. His body went limp as he tried to comprehend what had just happened, tilting his head on the ground to see who had shot him. Agent Sands got up from the ground and walked over to him, planting a final shot in his head.

“How dare you defy me like that,” said Agent Sands with a disgruntled grimace. After he holstered his sidearm, he took hold of the intercom and addressed the entire base. “Attention Huntington Air Force Base. This is Agent Sands of Blackwatch. It appears that ideas of defection and dereliction from duty are starting to arise within our ranks. The regular military here thinks they have the authority to tell me and Blackwatch what to do. They plan on abandoning their posts to jump ship before our mission here is complete. As such, I am giving Blackwatch full authorization to use whatever means necessary to make sure no one leaves, and I mean no one. Our faithful leader, Brigadier General Rodrigo Diez, has already been executed for desertion. May that be a warning to the rest of you.”

“I guess that answers why you’re so panicked. So what’s the plan?” asked Debbie as she looked to Carolyn after having heard Agent Sands on the loudspeakers.

“Colonel Vears is recalling all the ground forces from the city. Commander Thatcher is prepping the C.S. Cutlass for take-off as we speak. All of our forces are being ordered to fall back to the Cutlass and we’ll try to at least get off the ground,” said Carolyn. “This city is lost. There’s no point in adding to the zombie horde with more pointless deaths.”

“What about Blackwatch?” asked Debbie.

“General Diez said he’d handle it, but I guess that didn’t go as well as he’d hoped,” said Carolyn. “We’re on our own. My priority is to get us and the prodigies on that ship, alive.” She moved ahead of the two and led them back to the barracks to regroup with the others. When they arrived, they only saw Haruhi sitting on a bunk. “Prodigy Okane, where is everyone!?” she asked.

“They’re in the mess hall eating, ma’am. Is something wrong? You sound… on edge,” said Haruhi. As they were talking, small firefights began erupting all over the base.

Debbie’s ears twitched as she tried to determine how far away the shooting was. “Is that…?” she asked.

“Yeah. Blackwatch and the regular forces have already begun engaging each other. We need to rendezvous with the others and get out of here. Prodigies, gather your weapons. You may need to use them once more,” said Carolyn.

Raphael and Haruhi nodded, retrieving their guns from their bunks. He, Haruhi, and the two instructors hurried out of the barracks and went next door to the mess hall. Jesse and the other prodigies were sitting at a table, wondering what was going on after hearing gunshots so close by. Before they could regroup with them, two Blackwatch soldiers burst through the doors and started firing indiscriminately into the room with their rifles. Carolyn acted instinctively and attacked them while Debbie forced Raphael and Haruhi to the ground, using her body as a shield to protect them. Carolyn grabbed a hold of the first soldier and flipped him on his back while drawing her sidearm all in one motion. She shot the downed soldier once in the chest then once more in the head. The second soldier was about to re-aim his rifle on her and fire, but she shot first, splattering his brains all over the floor. Once they were taken care of, she scanned the surrounding area before holstering her weapon.

“Are you guys okay?” asked Carolyn as she looked back to her group.

“Yeah. We’re fine,” said Debbie as she helped Raphael and Haruhi up.

Carolyn then looked to the other prodigies. “Taylor, status!” she asked.

“Green, ma’am! We’re all fine,” said Jesse as she came back up from under a table.

Carolyn hurried over to the group and told them the situation before they headed to the C.S. Cutlass. Once everyone was up to speed on what was happening, they grabbed whatever weapons they could and followed Carolyn out of the mess hall. Some of the soldiers from the mess hall thanked Carolyn for saving them and volunteered to escort her and the prodigies to the ship. Along the way, they avoided firefights as much as they could, leaving the regular units stationed there to battle with Blackwatch. The regular forces outnumbered the Blackwatch unit, but they were still evenly matched; Blackwatch’s superior firepower and technology made up for their lack of numbers. Carolyn and the others were able to make it into the spaceport and hurried to the gate the C.S. Cutlass was docked at.

“It should be just up here, ma’am. Just past this bulkhead,” said one of the soldiers in their group. Once they turned a corner and were halfway down the hallway, two Blackwatch E.B.A.s appeared at the other end.

“What are those?” asked Yumi, stopping in the middle of the hallway with a couple of soldiers.

“Get down!” said Carolyn as she dove behind a wall. The E.B.A.s in front of them opened fire with their arm-mounted chain guns and caught Yumi and the two soldiers out in the open. Their high caliber rounds ripped her and the soldiers to shreds in a matter of seconds. The others scattered to the sides of the hallway and sought cover wherever they could.

“Yumi!” said Jesse from behind cover.

“She’s dead! Just stay where you are!” said Carolyn as she motioned Jesse to stay where she was.

The E.B.A.s stopped firing and slowly started advancing down the hallway. The remaining escorts peeked out from cover and opened fire on them. Their rifle rounds bounced off the suits’ reinforced armor and didn’t even make them flinch. The E.B.A.s raised their guns and fired again. The soldiers hid back behind cover, trying not to get hit by the high rate of fire as the rounds ricocheted off the walls near them.

“What are we going to do, ma’am! We can’t do anything to them with what we have!” said one of the soldiers.

“Just sit tight, soldier. We’ll think of something,” said Carolyn, clutching her teeth together as she peeked an eye out from cover.

“Well, you better hurry, ma’am! They’re getting closer!” said Steven.

Carolyn cursed under her breath and thought of something on the fly. “Soldier, give me all the grenades you got!” she said.

“I don’t think it’ll do anything, ma’am!” said the soldier, still cowering behind cover.

“Just do it!” said Carolyn.

The soldier complied and rolled two of his grenades over to her. She picked them up and pulled the pins, waiting a few seconds before throwing them down the hall. The grenades detonated before the E.B.A.s could dodge them, rupturing one of the suit’s feeding lines that supplied the chain gun with ammunition. The other E.B.A’s chain gun barrels were bent and damaged, rending them inoperable. They looked at each other and just stood in the hallway, waiting for Carolyn and the others to make a move.

“Nice one, ma’am! You destroyed their guns,” said Debbie.

“But why aren’t they moving?” asked Jesse.

“Their job is to prevent anyone from leaving, not search and destroy. As long as they stay there, they’ve blocked the only way out of this installation,” said Carolyn.

“So what are we going to do? We can’t damage them while they’re in those suits,” said Steven.

“There may be one thing we can do,” said Raphael as he caught everyone’s attention.

“What is it, Comet?” asked Carolyn.

“I’ve worked with E.B.A.s before, ma’am, and I’ve noticed some weak spots and vulnerabilities they have that not everyone might not be aware of,” said Raphael.

“Well, do tell. How do we take these guys down?” asked Carolyn.

“Those E.B.A.s look like newer models, but they should still operate like the older ones. If you can somehow get behind them, there should be a power regulator on the tops of their backpacks. If you could damage it, their suits’ hydraulics should shut off, immobilizing them for good,” said Raphael.

Carolyn looked from Raphael to the suits down the hall then back to him. “That’s assuming that regulator thing is where you say it is,” she said.

Raphael just shrugged, seeing no alternative for them. “It’s better than nothing,” he said.

“Damn. And I’m guessing I’m the one who’s going to be running this little stunt, so I want a little something more concrete than a guess,” said Carolyn.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. That’s all I got,” said Raphael.

Carolyn thought the plan over in her head then peeked down the hallway. The E.B.A.s were still standing down the hall, waiting for them to make a move. “Does anyone have any grenades left?” she asked.

“Just a couple flash-bangs,” said one of the soldiers.

“When I give the signal, toss ‘em down there,” said Carolyn. As the soldier nodded and prepped to throw the grenades, she readied her sidearm and psyched herself up for the run. When she was ready, she motioned to the soldier.

“Good luck, ma’am,” said the soldier before throwing the grenades.

Once they went off, Carolyn sprinted down the hallway towards the enemy. Their screens flared and their speakers crackled as the grenades went off, making them grasp their heads in confusion. She dodged their flailing movements and got behind them, unloading half her magazine on the first suit’s power supply then the other half on the other one. The suits buckled and fell to the ground as their motor functions failed due to the power loss.

One of the suits had just enough power to turn its head towards Carolyn. “You won’t get out of here alive. I guarantee it,” said the pilot through the suit’s mechanical speakers.

Carolyn just ignored him and stepped over their bodies. Once she gave the all clear, everyone moved out of cover and walked over to her. Before moving on, the prodigies looked at Yumi one last time, all of them trying not to cry for their fallen comrade and friend.

“What next?” asked Carolyn.

“This way, ma’am,” said one of the soldiers with them. He walked into the rotunda and was immediately cut down by Blackwatch soldiers trying to fight their way onto the C.S. Cutlass.

Carolyn and the others promptly took cover again and returned fire. “They’re trying to take over the Cutlass!” she said.

“This is nuts! This is not what I signed up for!” said Steven, firing his pistol over a barrier.

“Well what did you expect!? We’re in the military!” said Jesse as she reloaded her sidearm.

“This is different. We’re fighting our own forces for crying out loud. They’re supposed to be on our side!” said Steven.

“Cut the chatter and fire your weapons!” said Debbie.

Jesse and Steven exchanged annoyed looks and opened fire with their pistols. Their group was able to take down some of the enemies while the soldiers defending the C.S. Cutlass finished off the remaining Blackwatch troops. The regular forces secured the area and searched for supplies as Carolyn’s group made their way over to them.

“Who’s in charge here, soldier?” asked Carolyn.

“That would be Lieutenant Fern. He’s in charge of defending this gate until all our forces are onboard, ma’am,” said the soldier. He then showed her where his superior was then left to reinforce the defense line.

When Lieutenant Fern noticed Carolyn approaching, he promptly rendered a salute. “Good to see someone made it,” he said.

“At ease, lieutenant. Where’s Colonel Vears?” asked Carolyn.

“He’s inside the Cutlass directing the withdrawal of our troops, ma’am,” said Fern.

“How long until we’re out of here? Blackwatch is closing in on us,” said Carolyn.

“I’m not sure, ma’am. You’re going to have to ask Colonel Vears or Commander Thatcher. You can find them on the bridge,” said Fern.

“Thank you, lieutenant,” said Carolyn before heading into the ship with her group.

“Are we going to be all right, ma’am?” asked Haruhi.

“It’s too soon to tell, Okane. You’ll know once I talk with Vears or Thatcher,” said Carolyn.

They continued into the ship and headed straight for the bridge. The bridge was hustling and bustling with crew trying to get the ship ready for launch. Carolyn had everyone else wait outside while she went to talk with the commanding officers. Thatcher was at the helm of the ship, giving orders to his senior staff. Vears was at the communications station, talking to his platoon leaders over the radio.

“Colonel Vears, Captain Ren reporting for duty,” she said, rendering a salute.

Vears got off the radio and returned the salute. “Good to see you made it, captain,” he said.

“How long until we launch?” asked Carolyn.

“I don’t know. We still have units out there in the city and troops in the base fighting Blackwatch. We can’t just leave them here. If we do, we’d be no better than them,” said Vears.

“We can’t wait around forever. Blackwatch might sabotage the ship or the infection might reach here. We need to get this hunk of metal off the ground now, sir,” said Carolyn.

“That’s not happening, captain, and that’s final,” said Vears. He turned away from her and got back on the coms to direct the retreat.

Carolyn sneered at him and left the bridge, returning to Debbie and the prodigies.

“What’s the news?” asked Debbie.

“We’re grounded until they pull everyone back, and he means _everyone_ ,” said Carolyn.

“But that’s suicide! No offense to the regular army, but Blackwatch is eventually going to make their way to this ship. And with the frontline troops gone; the infection has gone unchecked!” said Jesse.

“Just stay calm and keep alert. We’ve got to hold down the fort until Thatcher and Vears find it convenient to lift off. C’mon, let’s just wait in the mess hall until either we lift off, or we get blown to bits. That’s the only choice we have right now,” said Carolyn. She sighed and started walking off to the mess hall, lighting a cigarette held in her mouth.

The prodigies looked at each other with disheartened looks and followed after her. Once in the mess hall, they found some food to chow down on as they waited for the rest of the troops to complete their retreat.

“At least we’re somewhat safe, right?” said Jesse, trying to remain optimistic.

“Yeah, until Blackwatch fights their way up here and kills us all,” said Steven.

“That or the zombie horde overruns the ship,” said Haruhi.

Debbie looked at the prodigies and shook her head. “Why are you guys so negative? There’s still a chance of us getting out here,” she said.

“But how much longer? I won’t start celebrating until I’m off this planet and away from all this,” said Jesse.

They sat together in the mess hall for about an hour, the longest hour any of them had to endure in their life. Fortunately for them, the regular forces were able to hold back Blackwatch and the zombie horde. Once everyone was onboard, Thatcher gave the order to lift off.

“Good job, everyone. We made it,” said Thatcher from his command seat.

“Finally, we’re getting outta this hell hole,” said the main pilot as he prepared to get the ship off the ground

“Sir! I’ve got an incoming transmission from the C.S. Divinity!” said the bridge communications officer.

“Patch me through,” said Thatcher.

The communications officer flipped a few switches and directed the transmission to the commander’s chair. “This is Commander Alston of the C.S. Divinity. You are not cleared for take-off and must remain grounded.”

“This is Commander Thatcher, C.S. Cutlass. Commander Alston, we’re all that’s left from the Grandeur City area and we’re about to be overrun. There aren’t any infected onboard. Please, let us take off and at least hold a hovering pattern over the city,” he said.

“I am under strict orders to not let any ship off the ground, military or civilian. I’m sorry, commander,” said Alston.

“You can’t do this! If we stay like this, we’re all dead. We’re taking off whether you like it or not,” said Thatcher.

“Be advised. We’ve been authorized to use lethal force if necessary to deter non-compliant ships. Continue and you will be fired upon. This is your final warning,” said Alston.

“What should I do, sir?” asked the main pilot as he turned to his commanding officer.

“Full speed ahead. They won’t do it,” said Thatcher.

The pilot had a nervous look on his face and turned back to his station. “Aye aye, Commander. Full speed ahead,” he said as the ship began to ascend.

Meanwhile, Carolyn’s group was still in the mess hall, chatting away. “How long do you think until they can contain the problem, if they ever do?” asked Jesse.

Haruhi scoffed and leaned back in her chair. “Who’s knows? I doubt that they’ll-” she said, but before she could finish, an explosion rocked the ship which caused her to fall backwards. “Ow! What heck was that!?” Another explosion jolted the Cutlass more violently than the last.

As they were looked around, Thatcher was heard over the ship-wide intercom. “This is your commander speaking! All hands, abandon ship. Get to the escape pods! We’re under heavy fire from the quarantine blockade in orbit! This ship won’t last long under the combined fire of an entire battlegroup, so evac ASAP!” he said.

“They’re firing on us? But why!?” asked Debbie.

“Containment. I guess they don’t want to risk the infection spreading,” said Carolyn.

“So what do we do?” asked Raphael.

“You heard the commander. Get to the escape pods!” said Carolyn.

Carolyn and Debbie gathered the prodigies and led them to the nearest escape pods. They followed the ship’s crew through the corridors of the unfamiliar ship, hoping they were headed in the right direction. Holes were being punctured through the ship’s hull left and right, prompting security bulkheads to close shut in order to prevent oxygen loss if they were in space. As they were running through one of the loading areas, an explosion nearby caused Jesse to lose balance and fall to the ground. The group stopped at the exit to the room and turned around.

“Jesse!” said Haruhi.

“Don’t worry, I got her!” said Steven as he ran back to help her up. Just as he left, the bulkhead started to rapidly close.

“Steven! The door’s closing!” said Raphael. Before Steven could turn around to see what was happening, he and Jesse were crushed by debris falling from above, caused by the continued shelling from the ships in orbit. “Steven! They’re still in there!” he said while banging on the door after it fully closed

Carolyn moved over to him and pulled him away from the door. “It’s no use, Comet! They’re gone! We need to keep moving!” she said.

Raphael struck the door once last time and moved with the group to the escape pods. There were crew members scrambling all around the escape pod bay, but he and the others were able to find a vacant one to use.

“Everyone, inside!” said Carolyn, motioning into the escape pod.

Raphael moved into the cockpit and started it up. Once everyone was inside, he hit the button to close the back hatch, but nothing happened. Panicking, he pressed it again and again, but it was no use. An error indicator popped up on his console telling him the door mechanism was compromised.

“What’s the matter, Comet!? Let’s move it already!” said Carolyn.

“The door control is busted! I can’t close it unless someone does it manually!” said Raphael.

“Well, how do you do that!?” asked Carolyn.

“Someone has to do it from the outside. There’s a panel just outside the door that closes it,” said Raphael.

“So… someone has to stay behind to close it?” asked Carolyn.

Raphael remained silent for a moment then responded. “That’s affirmative, ma’am,” he said. Everyone in the pod looked down, thinking of who would have to stay behind.

Debbie was about to volunteer, but Carolyn spoke up first. “I’ll do it,” said Carolyn.

Debbie stood up from her seat and confronted Carolyn. “No, ma’am! I should do it,” said Debbie.

“No can do, Debbie. I’ve already lived a full life and done things that I still regret doing. I have no right to live by sacrificing one of you. You three still have a ways to go,” said Carolyn.

“But, ma’am!” said Debbie.

“Enough! What’s done is done. It was a pleasure serving with you all,” said Carolyn.

Carolyn gave a salute and was about to turn around until Debbie stopped her. “Before you go, I have to tell you something,” said Debbie.

“What is it?” asked Carolyn.

As Carolyn turned around, Debbie punched her in the jaw and knocked her out. “Please, forgive me,” she said before kneeling down and kissing her on the check. She then looked to Haruhi. “Haruhi, pull her inside. I’ll release the manual override.” Haruhi was shocked, but complied, pulling Carolyn’s limp body completely inside the pod. “Once the door is closed, launch no matter what. Is that clear, Raphael?” asked Debbie.

Raphael looked to Debbie from the cockpit and nodded. Debbie stepped out and opened the override panel, turning the handle to close the door. The door slid shut and a green indicator lit up on Raphael’s flight console. Once the door closed, Carolyn came to and stood up, seeing Debbie on the other side of the door. Debbie was able to mouth a few last words before Raphael hit the launch button, propelling the craft out of the ship. Carolyn was rocked off balance by the sudden jolt of acceleration but managed to remain upright.

“Debbie? Debbie! Comet, turn this ship around!” said Carolyn while still looking out the back of the escape pod.

“I’m sorry, ma’am! She told me to launch and there’s no way I can turn around now,” said Raphael.

“Why would she do that? I should’ve been the one to pull the lever, not her!” said Carolyn.

“I don’t know, but she really cared about you, ma’am. That’s probably why she sacrificed herself,” said Haruhi.

“Debbie… She didn’t deserve that,” said Carolyn.

By then, the ship had gained a significant amount of altitude despite the bombardment and was well above the city. As they were hurling through the air, there were explosions nearby that shook the pod. Carolyn looked out the window again and saw rounds from the blockade hitting escape pods.

“Shoot. That’s not good,” said Carolyn.

“Ma’am, where do we go now!?” asked Raphael as he struggled to keep control of the escape pod.

“Just get away from the Cutlass. They’re shooting down all the escape pods!” said Carolyn. Their pod rocked back and forth as nearby escape pods were blown to bits. Raphael maneuvered the craft through the air the best he could, falling back towards the city below.

“Comet, can you get us back on the ground in one piece?” asked Carolyn.

“Some of the systems are fried, but I can try, ma’am,” said Raphael as he wrestled with the flight stick.

“Just get us on the ground safely. I don’t care where,” said Carolyn.

“Roger that,” said Raphael as he tried to keep the pod steady while making their descent back down towards the city.

Once the skyline came into view, he tried to find a suitable place to bring the craft down on. There weren’t that many options to choose from, but as he was scanning, he saw a long stretch of empty street near the center of the city.

“Ma’am, there’s a place I think I can land on,” said Raphael.

“Do it. Just try not to get us killed,” said Carolyn.

Raphael nodded and plotted the approach vector. After he set the autopilot to follow the directed path he set, he moved from the cockpit and strapped himself in the back with the others. Once their safety harnesses were secured, they anxiously awaited the pod’s impact on the hard asphalt. The autopilot engaged the airbrakes and prepared for landing, initiating a count down through the pod’s speakers. As the mechanical voice began at five, Raphael and the others crossed their fingers and prayed for a smooth landing.


	6. On Our Own

The pod’s underbelly scraped the street, bouncing on the street before going into a full skid down the road. The airbrakes dug into the ground and broke off due to the stress of the crash landing. Inside the pod, Raphael and the others were shaking in their seats, jerking side to side as the pod continued on. The pod’s metal grinded against the asphalt until it slowed to a halt. Even after the craft had stopped, the three of them were breathing heavily in their seats, still trembling from the bumpy ride.

After getting a hold of herself, Carolyn looked around the pod. “Is everyone okay?” she asked.

Raphael gave a thumbs-up, but remained silent. Haruhi put a hand to her mouth then hit the quick-release on her harness. She then opened the back hatch of the escape pod and vomited just outside. Raphael undid his harness as well and went out to help her. Carolyn unstrapped herself and scavenged the crashed pod for anything useful; she picked up a med-kit, a small survival bag filled with miscellaneous supplies, and a survival rifle that was stashed under the seats. Once she gathered everything, she stepped outside and checked on the two prodigies. Haruhi was recovering and was doing fine along with Raphael.

“Thanks for getting us down alive, Comet,” said Carolyn.

“You’re welcome, ma’am,” said Raphael. All three of the looked around and saw zombies everywhere, heading to their position at a slow, shambling pace.

“Now what? We survived the crash, but now we’re back in this mess,” said Haruhi.

As they were looking in front of them, a zombie came up from behind them and let out a moan, alerting the three of its presence. Haruhi was closest to it and turned around in fright. Carolyn pushed her out of the way and bashed the zombie’s head in with the butt of her rifle. More zombies were coming from behind, slowly surrounding the group and the pod.

“We need to move, ma’am!” said Raphael, drawing his sidearm and firing at the closest zombie to him.

Carolyn hastily scanned the surrounding area and found a suitable location to fall back to. “Quick, to the underground shopping mall!” she said. Raphael and Haruhi looked to her, skeptical about her sudden choice in sanctuary. “Don’t give me that look. Move!”

They did as they were told and sprinted for the mall’s entrance. Carolyn followed closely behind, only firing her weapon if she really needed to. Once they were inside and the doors locked, Haruhi slowly dropped to the ground, tired and heartbroken as she went into the fetal position. Raphael leaned back against a wall, sliding down to the floor and resting his arms on his knees. Cursing to herself, Carolyn paced back and forth in the hallway, rubbing the back of her neck with her hands

Carolyn stopped momentarily in the center of the hall, eying Raphael and Haruhi. “Comet, Okane, give me all the rifle magazines you got,” she said. Having no use for them, they complied and handed over all the rifle rounds and magazines they had on them. She took the ammunition and stashed it wherever she could on her person. She then eyed a few other items Raphael and Haruhi had as well. “And your water. Hand it over.”

Raphael and Haruhi exchanged confused looks. “What for?” he asked.

“Just do it!” said Carolyn.

Trying to avoid confrontation, they reluctantly complied and gave Carolyn their water bottles as well. Carolyn took them and placed them in the small bag she had from the escape pod. Once everything was in place, she turned her back to them and began walking down the hall into the mall. Raphael and Haruhi looked to each other, worried about what was going on. They got up and followed after her, hurrying to catch up. As she heard footsteps behind her, Carolyn turned around and raised her rifle at them.

“Don’t follow me. You’ll just end up dying like the others,” said Carolyn. As Raphael took a step forward, she fired two shots, one to the spot on the ground right in front of him and Haruhi. Raphael jumped back while Haruhi dropped to the ground, placing her hands over her head as she trembled in fear. “Not another step. I’m not letting anyone else die while under my command.” She turned back around and continued walking.

“And what do you call abandoning us here then!? What if we die!? It’ll be all your fault!” said Raphael. Carolyn ignored him and disappeared into the mall.

Haruhi crawled over to Raphael and clung onto his leg. “I’m scared, Raph,” she said.

Raphael knelt down next to her and placed his arms around her, hugging her close. “It’s okay, Haruhi. We’ll figure out a way to survive without her,” he said. Haruhi began to cry and buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around him as well. After he let her cry for a bit, he let go of her and stood back. “C’mon. We can’t stay here.”

“But Instructor Ren’s out there! She’s going to kill us!” said Haruhi.

“She’s probably long gone by now. We need to find more supplies and a place to hold out, or at least, until we figure out what to do next,” said Raphael.

Haruhi looked outside at all the zombies then back to him, giving a nod. Raphael led the way into the mall followed closely by her, both of them having their pistols drawn. As they walked down the hallway, they heard gunshots up ahead, prompting them to crouch to the ground. Once it was quiet again, and after waiting a few moments, they continued on. Coming to the end of the hallway, they finally entered the main portion of the mall. Everything was silent, except for the occasional moan of a wandering zombie.

“Damn. And I was hoping to have a zombie-free shopping spree while I was here,” said Haruhi. Raphael chuckled and she gave him a slight smile.

“We better go this way. Instructor Ren’s been down that way,” said Raphael, spotting the dead zombies on the ground. They walked in the opposite direction and kept alert for hostiles. As they were walking along, their stomachs started to rumble.

“Raph, I’m hungry,” said Haruhi.

“Yeah, me too. Let’s find a map. This mall should definitely have a food court, or some sort of restaurant,” said Raphael. Once they found an information booth, they looked at the map displayed there. “Good thing we went this way. The food court should be just up ahead.”

“I’m so hungry. I hope there’s something there we can eat that’s still fresh,” said Haruhi.

They left the booth and eagerly made their way to the food court. They encountered a few zombies along the way, but rather than shooting them, they just went around them as to not attract more undead. Surprisingly, the food court was void of zombies, since it was on its own level and only accessible via escalator or elevator. They quickly swept the area and finally relaxed, looking around for some food to eat. Raphael settled with a few pieces of pizza to chow down on while Haruhi hungered for something a bit more refined. She found a sushi bar with pre-packaged sushi that was still cold and fresh. Sitting down together to eat, both of them hesitated to start despite being really hungry.

“You’re not hungry?” asked Raphael after noticing Haruhi’s distraught look.

“I am, but I just can’t bring myself to eat,” said Haruhi while fiddling with her chopsticks.

“Is there something wrong?” asked Raphael.

“Besides being in a zombie apocalypse and everyone being dead?” asked Haruhi.

Raphael looked away, sorry for asking such an obvious question. Haruhi slowly picked up a piece of sushi and brought it to her snout, taking the entire morsel in her mouth. Watching her eat, and acknowledging the rumbling in his own stomach, Raphael picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite. The two ate together in silence until they had their full, the groans of zombies echoing in the background.

“That was good. I haven’t eaten that much in a long time,” said Haruhi, picking at her teeth with a chopstick.

“Yeah. Now I can’t run to avoid zombies,” said Raphael with a chuckle, patting his belly.

“What do you want to do now?” asked Haruhi.

“I don’t know. Wanna just walk around? There aren’t that many zombies around, so we should be okay,” said Raphael.

“Actually, I was thinking about something a little more… physical,” said Haruhi.

“Physical?” asked Raphael, giving her a curious look.

“Once my food settles, I want to go kill some zombies,” said Haruhi with a smirk.

“Don’t you think we should save our ammo for when we really need it? We shouldn’t go looking for trouble,” said Raphael.

“We don’t have to use our guns, Raph. I saw a sports store on the way here, so there should be tons of stuff there we can use to beat some zombie heads in with,” said Haruhi.

“Well, if that’s what you really want to do,” said Raphael before reclining in his chair.

“It is. I just want to kill every single one of them,” said Haruhi.

“Eh, that’s fine with me. There’s nothing going on with me anyway,” said Raphael.

They chatted for a bit longer while letting their stomachs relax. Afterwards, they got up and headed back down the escalators towards the sports shop. They carefully traversed back down the way from which they came. Haruhi spotted the shop and stopped in front of the entrance along with Raphael. She looked to him and they both drew their pistols as they progressed into the store together. Checking the isles one by one and clearing the backroom, they secured the shop and lowered the security grate, allowing them to peruse through the merchandise with a certain peace of mind.

“What do you think I should use?” asked Haruhi, picking up several items off the shelves.

“Whatever you want. Personally, I’m going to roll with this lightweight, reinforced putter. It has good reach, it’s easy to wield, and it will last a while,” said Raphael.

Haruhi looked at her options and decided to go with a more traditional approach. “I’ll just use this metal baseball bat. It’s durable and weighs and feels like the paper cutter I was using earlier. Man, I miss that thing,” she said. She looked at the bat then glanced over to the cash register, grinning. Taking the bat in hand, she swung at the machine, bashing it open and exposing the cash drawer.

The loud noise made Raphael jump, causing him to turn around and see what the cause of the disturbance was. “Haruhi, what the heck are you doing?” he asked.

“What? If I survive this thing, I want to have something to show for it. Besides, no one is watching,” said Haruhi while emptying the cash drawer. She took a twenty credit bill and handed it to Raphael. “Here, a little something for your troubles.”

“I can’t take that. That’s wrong and you know it. We’re Prodigies and need to keep a certain level of integrity, you know?” said Raphael.

Haruhi scowled at Raphael and walked over, facing him and jabbing at his chest with her finger. “Don’t even talk to me about _integrity_. Just moments ago, our superior shot at us and left us for dead. And who are you to talk about integrity? Did you already forget what you and Kari did at my house? Yeah. Don’t even start,” she said. She pocketed all the money and picked up her bat, moving into the back room in search of more valuables. As she disappeared into the other room, Raphael just stood there, reflecting on his involvement with Kari the day before.

After Haruhi cleared the backroom of all the extra cash, she noticed another door in the hallway leading back into the storefront. Curious and eager for more loot, she grabbed the handle and opened the door. Once the door swung open, she stepped into a small, warehouse-like area used to house the store’s excess inventory. The lights were already on, so she stepped inside, letting the door close behind her with a slam. As it slammed shut, she heard rustling from the far end of the room. She walked inside and looked around, readying her metal baseball bat.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” asked Haruhi. She heard movement again, but couldn’t see where it was coming from. Anxious and frightened, she set aside the bat and drew her pistol, keeping alert. With curiosity and greed getting the better of her, she continued to move further into the warehouse despite her better judgment. As she came out of the isle she was in, someone knocked her sidearm out of her hand using a hockey stick. While she was distracted, another man moved out from the shadows and grabbed her from behind, restraining her arms. Haruhi started shouting vulgar insults at them and kicked wildly. The guy with the hockey stick struck her in the abdomen with the backend of it. The breath was immediately knocked out of her, and even though she had her tac-vest on, she still felt the force of the blow. The man holding her kept her arms pinned while the one who hit her started kissing her neck. He dropped the hockey stick and drew a knife, bringing it up to her jugular.

“Hey, Boss! We got a feisty one here!” said the man with the knife.

The leader of the three thugs made himself known and approached Haruhi and his two friends. “Well, lookey here. You’re kinda young to be in the military, eh, missy? So why don’t you tell me where you got all that, huh?” he asked. Haruhi was still trying to catch her breath and remained silent. “What? Nothing to say?” He caressed her snout and moved face-to-face with her. “Well, don’t worry. We’ll be making you scream all night long. Isn’t that right, boys?” They chuckled, but Haruhi finally caught her breath and spit in his face. The boss grimaced and smacked her across the cheek. “Don’t you worry. We’re going to take-”

Before the leader of the muggers could finish his sentence, he was on the ground with a bullet hole in his head and the sound of a gunshot ringing in everyone’s ears. The guy with the knife stood in shock as Raphael pumped two rounds into his chest, immediately dropping him to the floor. The last man used Haruhi as a shield and kept her between him and Raphael.

“Drop the gun, punk, or I’ll slit her throat!” said the man holding Haruhi. He had drawn a knife and held it to her throat.

“You kill her, I drop you in a heartbeat,” said Raphael, keeping his weapon aimed and poised to fire.

“Don’t tempt me, boy. I’m sure you don’t want the blood of this fine piece of ass on your conscience, do you?” asked the remaining mugger.

At that moment, Haruhi had just enough room to move and kicked the man in the groin, releasing his grip on her. Once she was free and out of the way, Raphael took aim and shot the man in the knee. Haruhi turned around to see her captor lying on the ground in pain, but still alive.

“What are you doing? These guys beat me up and were about to assault me, and all you do is shoot him in the knee!? Damn it. Let me show you how it’s done,” said Haruhi.

Haruhi picked up her gun from the floor and pointed it towards the downed mugger, shooting him in his groin. The man gripped the fresh wound and cried with terror as she made her way over to him.

“Please- Please don’t kill me!” said the wounded man.

Haruhi didn’t bother heeding his words and shot him in his other knee. The man was crying out in pain, pleading for his life with all the strength he had left. Raphael didn’t want to interfere and just let her vent her anger.

“Any last words?” asked Haruhi, keeping her pistol aimed at him.

The man couldn’t speak and was engulfed in tears. Growing fed up with her assailant’s constant sniveling and begging, Haruhi unloaded the rest of her magazine into his chest, pulling the trigger with a large grin across her face. Once her gun was empty and her target dead, she reloaded her sidearm and holstered it. She then walked over to Raphael, tired and still hurting from earlier.

“Thanks, for saving me back there,” said Haruhi.

“Yeah. No worries,” said Raphael, patting Haruhi on the shoulder as he moved past her to inspect the bodies.

Haruhi turned around and grabbed Raphael’s sleeve. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. “And…I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have brought that up,” she said.

Raphael her gave a nod and proceeded on to checking the bodies for anything useful. While he was kneeling down beside the corpses, Haruhi got a second look at the man she had killed. The grisly sight she caused formed an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She removed her gaze from the scene and nearly vomited after reflecting on her behavior. After finding nothing of use, Raphael got up and headed over to the office in the back of the warehouse. Based on the alterations he saw, he guessed that was where the thugs had set up camp. Noticing him leaving her side, Haruhi wiped her mouth and followed after him. As they approached the office together, they spotted a body by the side of the door, bound, gagged, and seemingly beaten to death; he was a rabbit in his mid-twenties.

“I guess it was a good thing you killed him after all,” said Raphael after making sure the victim was really dead.

Haruhi just looked away, tired from all the death she had seen that day. The two of them entered the office, wary of any people that may be lurking inside. Raphael flipped the light switch on which illuminated the room. It was empty and devoid of any belligerents much to their relief. They noticed that all the desks were pushed off to the side, making a sort of fortified barrier in front of the entrance. Once past the barricade, they saw that the men had collected a plentiful stock of food, water, and other vital supplies, along with certain items of entertainment. While rummaging through their supplies, Raphael noticed a stash of valuables laid out on a table. Several wads of credits were piled next to each other with coins, jewelry, and other valuables strewed out around the stacks.

“Looks like you hit the jackpot, Haruhi. Here’s all the loot you wanted in the first place, conveniently gathered just for you,” said Raphael as he tried to poke some fun at Haruhi to lighten the mood.

Haruhi just looked at the treasures on table and turned away in disgust, sickened that her greedy nature got her involved in that situation in the first place. “I don’t want it anymore. You’re right. Nothing good can come from that,” she said. When she turned away from the table, she noticed that the back of the office was sectioned off by bed sheets hung from a clothesline. “Hey, Raph, what’s that?”

Raphael looked over to where she was pointing and moved next to her. “I don’t know. I think I hear something moving behind the sheets, but I can’t see it,” he said.

Raphael drew his pistol and had Haruhi stay back to cover him, just in case. He inched closer and closer to the sheets, keeping he weapon at the ready. When he was about a foot away from the sheets, he reached up to pull the sheets away and hesitated. He waited a few seconds, mustering up the courage before he finally flung the sheets away, revealing not a brain-hungry zombie or crazed civilian, but instead a bare-bodied female raccoon lying on a mattress. She was in her mid-twenties and was tied down, her ankles and wrists secured to each corner of the mattress. When Raphael appeared, she looked up at him and tried to talk, but her voice was muffled by the tape on her mouth. Once he saw her, he blushed and turned his back to her.

“What’s wrong?” asked Haruhi.

“I- I need your help over here,” said Raphael.

“What is it?” asked Haruhi.

“Just come here, please,” said Raphael.

Haruhi holstered her sidearm and moved over next to Raphael, seeing the women on the mattress when she came into view. Haruhi blushed as well but didn’t bother turning around.

“Ah. I’m guessing you want me to free her right?” asked Haruhi.

Raphael nodded as he turned to Haruhi, trying to not catch view of the naked women behind him. “Yeah. She seems harmless enough and I don’t think she has any weapons on her…,” he said.

“Really? A fully naked woman doesn’t have any weapons on her. Okay, Raph,” said Haruhi as she acknowledged him. She then went over to the prisoner the thugs had and removed the tape from her mouth.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here! Are you here to rescue us?” asked the prisoner.

“Um, not really. We were just passing through,” said Haruhi as she moved to undo the first knot holding her down.

“What do you mean ‘ _us_ ’? There are others?” asked Raphael without turning his head towards her.

“Well, just one other. He saved me from those zombies during the evacuation and we just stuck together ever since. Didn’t quite make it to the evacuation area, though, so we decided to take refuge here. That was a bad choice, huh?” said the lady.

“What’s his name and what did he look like?” asked Haruhi.

“I think his name was Blake and he was a gray rabbit,” said the person still tied to the mattress.

Just as she said that, Haruhi looked up to Raphael and they both knew who she was talking about. He was probably the same guy they saw dead just outside the office. She momentarily stopped on the knot she was working on and stepped back next to him.

“That’s the same guy as out there, right?” asked Haruhi in a hushed tone.

“Yeah. That’s him,” said Raphael while also in a whisper.

“What should we tell her?” asked Haruhi.

“Nothing yet. Let’s just get her clothed and fed. Once she’s taken care of, we’ll tell her about it,” said Raphael. Haruhi nodded and went back to freeing the woman.

“What were you talking about? Was it something I said? Did you find Blake?” asked the woman.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get you out of this first,” said Haruhi, undoing the last knot. “There we go. Are your clothes around here?”

The woman rubbed her wrists and ankles, sore from the rope used to bind them to the mattress. “Thanks. I’m so sore and tired from being strapped to this thing,” she said. She looked around and saw pieces of her clothing scattered all over the floor. “I think I’m going to need some new clothes. The asshole ripped them off me and tore them to shreds, so…”

“That’s okay, I’ll go find you some in the store,” said Raphael.

Just as Raphael was about to leave, Haruhi got up and held him back. “I’ll go. I know how women’s clothes sizes work, so you just stay here with her. I won’t be long,” she said before heading into the store to find the woman a new set of clothes. Meanwhile, Raphael remained with her, keeping his back to her so he didn’t see her naked.

The woman stretched her arms into the air while remaining seated on the mattress. “So, what’s your name, soldier?” she asked as she looked to Raphael standing in front of her.

“I’m not a soldier. I’m still a Prodigy in training and my name’s Raphael Comet,” he said.

“Nice to meet you, Raphael. I’m Trisha, but you can call me Trish,” said the woman.

“Glad to have you with us, Trish,” said Raphael.

At that moment, Haruhi hurried back with Trisha’s new clothes. “Here you go. I got you a set of jogging pants, a nice t-shirt, panties, a sport-bra, and white ankle socks. I didn’t get you shoes yet, since you and I know how hard it is to find a pair of sneakers that fit just right. You can pick your own before we head on out,” she said.

“Thank you so much- Um, and what’s your name?” asked Trisha after taking the clothes.

“I’m Haruhi Okane,” she said.

“Well, thank you Haruhi. Are you a prodigy too?” asked Trisha as she began to get dressed.

“Yeah. Raph and I go to the same academy,” said Haruhi.

“Are there any more of you guys out there?” asked Trisha after slipping on her black jogging pants.

Raphael and Haruhi exchanged disheartened looks, remembering all of their friends who had died. “At first, there were a lot of us, but as time went on, and after moving from place to place, we lost a lot of friends until we were the only two left,” said Raphael.

“Well, there is our deadbeat superior, Instructor Ren, but she went crazy and stormed off into the mall. She’s lurking around here somewhere,” said Haruhi.

“What’s wrong with her?” asked Trisha as she slipped her head through her pink t-shirt.

“I don’t know, but she took all our supplies then left us for dead. She nearly killed us before she left,” said Haruhi.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” said Trisha.

“So, how in the world did you get in the mess, anyway?” asked Haruhi.

Trisha continued to get ready while she told her story. “Well, like I said before, I was on my way to the evacuation point until I got separated from my group and eventually surrounded by zombies. Then Blake came along and saved me. We couldn’t get to the others, so we decided to take refuge here, in this mall. It was fine at first until we ran into those guys, whom I assume you took care of based on all the shooting earlier,” she said.

“Yeah, sorry about that. My friend here got a little too carried away with the shooting,” said Raphael.

“That’s all right. So long as those guys are dead, I don’t mind the loud gunshots and from the sound of it, you made one of them suffer real good,” said Trisha.

“That was me, though I kind of regret doing that now,” said Haruhi.

“Yeah, well- anyway, the three thugs said they wanted me and for Blake to hand me over, but he refused and fought for me. Eventually, they overpowered him and took him off somewhere. I haven’t seen him since. When he was gone, they came back for me and brought me to their hideout, stripping me of my clothes and having their way with me, over and over again. It was horrifying. That was a day and a half ago,” said Trisha.

“That’s horrible. If Raph hadn’t shown up, I guess I would’ve shared the same fate,” said Haruhi, looking away while thinking about the grisly thought.

“Is there anything you need? There’s some food and water for you here if you want it,” said Raphael.

“Thanks. And these clothes fit real well. How did you know my sizes?” asked Trisha.

“Fashion is a hobby of mine, so I know how clothes fit on women. I just kinda eyeball it and pick what seems right,” said Haruhi.

“I can’t imagine how awful it must’ve been, having these guys use you like that. Were you… a virgin?” asked Raphael.

“Raph, that’s kinda personal, don’t you think? She’s been through a lot and the last thing she probably wants to think about is losing her virginity to a bunch of pricks,” said Haruhi.

“No. It’s fine. Actually, I wasn’t a virgin when they used me, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. But, it wasn’t _too_ bad. At first, I cried and tried to resist, but as time went on, and after getting used to them, I actually… kinda… liked it,” said Trisha. Raphael and Haruhi just looked at her with confused looks. “Now I know what you’re thinking ‘ _How can someone like getting abused?_ ’. Well, like I said, it wasn’t _too_ bad. They weren’t too forceful on me and didn’t beat me up, so long as I didn’t resist or try to escape. Once they got into the groove, they just went about their business and even pulled out every single time.”

“That’s… gross. Why would you even tell us all that?” asked Haruhi.

Raphael shook his head but was curious still. “Why did they do that, may I ask?” he asked rather sheepishly.

“The boss told them to, so they could ‘ _make me last longer_ ’. He didn’t want me getting pregnant, so he told them not to do it in me,” said Trisha as she rubbed her arm in embarrassment.

“That’s just sick. I’m glad they’re dead now,” said Haruhi.

“At least it was considerate of them,” said Trisha. “I don’t get much action, so I didn’t mind.”

“If you really liked it that much, maybe we should’ve just left you here with them,” said Haruhi.

“No! No. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you guys saved me. Even though the sex was fun for a while, it didn’t make up for the constant abuse and long lengths of just waiting while they weren’t using me. I don’t think I could’ve lasted much longer, so I’m glad I’m free thanks to you two,” said Trisha.

“You’re welcome. Now get something to eat so we can get you cleaned up. You look like a mess,” said Raphael.

“I would imagine so,” said Trisha with a chuckle. Once she had a bite to eat, she followed Raphael and Haruhi out of the office. Once she exited, she noticed Blake’s corpse off to the side. “Blake!” she said, crouching down next to his motionless body.

“Oh yeah, forgot about him,” said Haruhi as she glanced away while standing next to Trisha with Raphael.

“The idiots we killed beat him to death. I’m sorry, Trish,” said Raphael.

Trisha stood back up, wiping the tears from her eyes. Remembering the men who killed him and abused her, she stormed off in search of them. Once she found the three dead men, she made her way over to them and stood over their bodies, looking at their corpses with eyes filled with tears. Raphael and Haruhi exchanged concerned looks and hurried after her. As Trisha looked at them filled with rage, she began kicking each of them in the groin, reputedly kicking each of them over and over. When Raphael came over and saw her pummeling the dead men’s’ genitals with her foot, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, almost feeling their pain down in his privates.

When Trisha was done, Haruhi walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s over now. They’re dead. I’m sure that Blake would be happy to know that you’re still alive,” she said.

“That’s okay, guys. I didn’t really know him that well. Though, it is sad that he died like this, after saving me and all,” said Trisha. She took a moment to regain her composure then followed Raphael and Haruhi back into the store. “Hey, don’t I get a weapon?” she asked before they lifted up the security gate.

“Um. Yeah. Just pick something,” said Raphael.

“What do you recommend?” asked Trisha.

“Whatever feels best. I’d just use a regular baseball bat if I were you,” said Haruhi.

“That sounds too physical… and dirty,” said Trisha.

“Girl, please, just what exactly did you use to do before all this?” asked Haruhi.

“I worked as a librarian,” said Trisha, putting her hands on her hips.

“I guess that explains why she likes getting used so much,” said Haruhi under her breath to Raphael.

“What’d ya say?” asked Trisha.

“I said hurry up and find something already. We need to get moving,” said Haruhi while rolling her eyes.

Trisha scowled at her and picked up a cricket bat to use. Once she had her melee weapon, she went to find a pair of shoes that fit her. As she was looking for some footwear, Raphael took three backpacks and went back to the office, filling them with the rest of the food, water, and other supplies that were left.

“Did you find a pair that fits yet?” asked Haruhi after making her way over to Trisha.

Trisha was trying on a pair of top-of-the-line, black and pink running shoes and seemed content with them. “These shoes will work. With my salary, I could never afford something like this,” she said.

As Trisha was making sure they fit snug, Raphael came back and handed her and Haruhi a backpack filled with supplies. “Here you guys go. I took everything I could from the office that was useful,” he said.

“Thanks. So where we headed?” asked Trisha, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“First, we have to find a bathroom. I have to go and you probably want to shower,” said Raphael as he tried to ignore his full bladder. “After that, we need to find a safe place to hold up until rescue comes along.”

“Why can’t we stay here? There aren’t that many zombies around and we can just close this gate to keep us safe,” said Trisha.

“This place isn’t exactly stocked to last a while. There’s no running water and there are three dead men rotting in the back room,” said Haruhi.

“Oh. I see your point now,” said Trisha.

“All right, let’s get moving,” said Raphael as he moved into position with Haruhi to lift the gate.

Trisha anxiously readied herself as the gate was lifted, exposing them to the zombie threat. Once it was up, Raphael and Haruhi readied their melee weapons and moved back into the mall, keeping a keen eye out for hostiles. As they started moving, Trisha stayed close behind, frightfully gripping her bat tight as they walked along. There were still zombies present, but they weren’t near enough to pose a threat. Raphael and the others didn’t pay them any attention and tried not to make much noise. Raphael saw a sign for a bathroom up ahead and hurried along to get there. Before they went down the hallway leading to the bathrooms, Trisha told them to wait up.

“What is it?” asked Raphael.

“There’s a Bath Boutique right there. I need some soap, shampoo, and a towel to take a shower,” said Trisha.

“There’s probably soap and shampoo already in the stalls,” said Raphael, eager to get to a toilet to relieve himself.

“But I still need a towel,” said Trisha.

Raphael looked from the bath store back to Trisha. “Fine. Just wait here. I have to use the bathroom,” he said before hurrying off.

Haruhi turned to Trisha and shook her head. “You’re such a girly-girl. If you continue to be such a high-maintenance nuisance, we’re leaving your sorry ass behind,” she said.

“What? I need a towel,” said Trisha.

“You don’t _need_ a towel. You just want one,” said Haruhi.

“Don’t you use towels?” asked Trisha

“I do, but under certain circumstances, say like a zombie apocalypse for instance, I can make do without a measly towel,” said Haruhi.

“Then how do you plan on drying yourself, hmm?” asked Trisha.

“Simple. Take your shirt. Dry yourself. Then pop it into the PAC and hit ‘dry’,” said Haruhi.

“Well, excuse me. Not all us simple civilian folk are used to your barbaric, militaristic ways,” said Trisha.

Haruhi was about to snap back at her until Raphael came back. “Okay. Ready to go,” he said, relieved after having just emptied his bladder.

Haruhi didn’t bother continuing the fight and just ignored Trisha. The shop was across from the bathrooms and had a moderate number of zombies in front of it. Raphael and Haruhi readied themselves and swung away at the first zombies in their way. They each struck a zombie in the head, knocking them down to the ground.

“Make sure the ones you hit are really dead. We don’t want stragglers biting at our ankles,” said Raphael before bringing his club down on a downed zombie’s skull. They swung and bashed their way to the store’s entrance, watching each other’s backs as they fought.

Trisha hurried over to them once the path was clear and opened the door. “C’mon! Get inside!” she said.

Haruhi followed her inside while Raphael finished off the last zombie around them. He whisked the blood from his weapon then followed them in, closing and securing the door behind him.

“All right. We’re in. Now hurry up and find a towel already,” said Raphael.

“Not so fast. What’s the rush? Since we’re here, I might as well find some nice soaps and shampoos to use,” said Trisha before browsing the various kinds of merchandise.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” said Raphael before finding a seat to rest on.

While Trisha was looking for her things, Haruhi walked around the store while Raphael kept guard near the front of the shop. Haruhi nonchalantly perused through the shelves, making her way further back into the shop. As she approached the cash registers and the door leading to the backroom, she couldn’t help but feel the urge to pillage again. Even after what happened earlier with the thugs at the sports store, she still had an overwhelming urge to look for money and valuables. She peeked over her shoulder to see that no one was watching then moved behind the counter, forcing the registers open. A smile returned to her face as she began loading her bag with all the bills left behind. She emptied the trays and slung her bag over her shoulder. She caught sight of the door leading back into the “employees only” room and decided if she wanted to venture in or not. She looked towards the front of the store again then decided on making a quick check.

Once Haruhi opened the door, she froze at the sight of a zombie feasting on a body on the floor. The zombie didn’t notice her as it was too busy ripping out the intestines of its victim. To her, it seemed like they were both employees of the store based on their uniforms. She was about to close the door and leave, but she remembered the bat that she was firmly grasping. She looked at it then to the zombie. She readied herself and swung with all her might, bringing her bat down against the zombie’s skull. The zombie shuddered then fell over on its side, dead once more. For good measure, Haruhi also smashed the victim’s head in before closing the door and heading back to the front.

“Hey, Haruhi, what happened to you?” asked Raphael as Haruhi walked over to him.

“Killed me a couple more zombies in the back,” said Haruhi, grabbing a towel and sitting down next to him. She used the towel and cleaned off her bat. “Are you done yet?” she asked as she looked to Trisha.

“Just about. There. I’ve got everything I need. I can’t wait to take a long, hot shower,” said Trisha with a smile on her face.

“Not too long. We need to find refuge before dark. I have a bad feeling about staying here when the sun goes down,” said Raphael before standing up and grabbing his putter. Trisha put her things in a plastic bag and picked up her cricket bat, following Raphael and Haruhi out of the store. The area in front was still mostly clear, so they had no trouble making it back to the restrooms.

“Okay, kiddos. I’m going to take my shower now, so no peeking, kay?” said Trisha as she started for the women’s restroom.

“Now hold up, Ditz McGee. We need to make sure everything is safe first. Raph, with me,” said Haruhi as she moved towards the female bathroom.

“But what about me?” asked Trisha.

“Stay here. Scream if you need anything,” said Raphael before following Haruhi inside.

The two readied their makeshift melee weapons and scanned the room. The lights were steady and it seemed devoid of zombies. The two looked to each other then to the stalls which were all closed. They gave each other a nod and approached them, opening them one by one. When they came to the last one, Raphael kicked it open, revealing another empty stall. Once the area was safe, they went back out to let Trisha know.

“Thanks, you guys. I promise, I won’t take too long,” said Trisha with a wink.

“Yeah, sure you won’t,” said Haruhi as she stood by Raphael outside.

“You’re not coming?” asked Trisha. Haruhi just glared at her, not replying to her remark. “Right, right. You and your soldier mannerisms. I got it,” she said before leaving to take a shower.

“You don’t need to wash up?” asked Raphael.

“I already peed. That’s all I needed to do,” said Haruhi.

“Okay, if you say so,” said Raphael. He and Haruhi stood watch while Trisha took her shower. While they waited, he looked to a map of the mall on the wall and planned on what to do next.

“So, what’s the plan, chief?” asked Haruhi as she looked to Raphael.

“Well, if I’m reading this right, there’s a hotel connected to this mall, on the other side,” said Raphael.

“On the other side? You mean the direction that Instructor Ren went?” asked Haruhi.

“We’ll be fine. I doubt she’s going to waste any of her limited ammunition on us if we happen to cross paths,” said Raphael.

“That didn’t prevent her from shooting at us before,” said Haruhi.

“Trust me. We need a safe place to stay for the night, so we’ll be fine,” said Raphael, giving her a look of confidence.

Haruhi was skeptical of the plan, but trusted in his judgment anyway. “Okay, Raph. I’ll trust you on this one,” she said.

After Trisha was taking longer than planned, Haruhi got fed up and walked into the bathroom, making her way over to where Trisha was taking a shower.

“Hey, Trisha, hurry up in there. It’s been twenty minutes already,” said Haruhi.

“Are you serious? It’s only been twenty minutes? I’ve only got my hair and face done,” said Trisha from behind the shower door.

“If you’re not out of there in five minutes, I’m going to come in there and pull you out personally,” said Haruhi.

“Okay, okay. Just give me a sec. Geez,” said Trisha.

Haruhi cursed under her breath before heading back out to Raph.

“Is she almost done?” asked Raphael.

“I gave her five minutes to finish up before I grab her out of there,” said Haruhi.

“Good,” said Raphael.

After Trisha’s five minutes were up, she came out of the shower and got dried up and dressed. She picked up her bat and went back out with Raphael and Haruhi. “That was relaxing. I feel so much better now,” she said.

“Terrific. Now let’s move out. Raph and I plan to take refuge in the adjacent hotel. You coming?” asked Haruhi.

“Of course I’m coming,” said Trisha, following her and Raphael back into the mall.

They made their way to the other side of the mall, staying on the ground floor all the way there. Once they passed the halfway mark, they began seeing more and more dead zombies with bullet holes in them. It made the walk to the hotel easier, but it also made them more nervous, not knowing where the shooter was. When they arrived at the hotel, the doors were locked.

“What? The doors are locked? Who the heck does that for a hotel?” said Trisha as she tried pulling the door open.

“Do you think Instructor Ren got here first and locked the doors?” asked Raphael.

“I don’t know, but I’m not staying out here any longer than I have to,” said Haruhi. She took her bat and smashed the lower part of the door, shattering the glass and making a small section big enough to crawl through. “Ladies first,” she said, crawling on through first. After she went, Trisha crawled inside followed by Raphael. The three of them looked around and saw an empty hotel lobby, still clean and untouched by the chaos of the zombie apocalypse.

“Hmm, everything still looks pretty normal,” said Raphael.

“Where to?” asked Haruhi.

“Let’s get us a room and settle in. We can figure out what to do next tomorrow, but right now, I need a break,” said Raphael.

“And some food,” said Trisha.

Raphael sighed as he grasped his stomach. “That sounds good. Haruhi, go find us a room key at the front desk. Trisha, come with me to get some food from the mart. Is there anything specific you want, Haruhi?” he asked.

“Eh, not really. Just get a little of everything,” said Haruhi.

“Okay. And Haruhi, be careful,” said Raphael. Haruhi gave him a nod before walking off to the front desk.

“For some reason, I have a feeling that girl doesn’t like me,” said Trisha as she and Raphael were looking through the convenience mart.

“What makes you say that?” asked Raphael.

“She’s always getting on my case for being such a girly-girl, but I can’t help it. I _am_ a girl and so is she,” said Trisha.

“Heh, you wouldn’t have guessed it by looking at her now, but back when things were normal at the academy, Haruhi was the cleanest, most girly-girl we knew,” said Raphael.

“No way,” said Trisha.

“She was. Her hobby is fashion and she was always looking clean as a whistle every time we saw her. And when we’d do physical activity or combat exercises, she’d always complain about getting dirty,” said Raphael.

“So why is she the way she is now?” asked Trisha.

“If you haven’t noticed by now, the world isn’t exactly normal anymore, or at least, for us anyway. Believe me. Every moment she’s fighting against her urges to revert back to her girly ways,” said Raphael.

“So why doesn’t she?” asked Trisha.

“She wants to survive. Simple as that,” said Raphael.

Trisha took in his words and thought it over. “Wow. That’s deep. Maybe I should take this whole zombie thing more seriously then,” she said.

“Yeah, that would help the both of us if you would stop acting so- casually about everything,” said Raphael, filling both of his shopping bags with food.

“I’m sorry, Hon. It’s just my nature. I’ve always been carefree about life, especially as a librarian. It keeps my job fun, sort of speak,” said Trisha.

“Well, we ain’t in a library anymore, so do your best to toughen up,” said Raphael. Trisha nodded and followed him back outside, her bags full with food and drink as well.

“Get anything good?” asked Haruhi after making her way back over to them.

“Lots. How ‘bout you?” asked Raphael.

“You’ll see,” said Haruhi with a smirk. She motioned them to follow her and led them to the elevators. She pressed the button and waited for an elevator to arrive.

“I hope it’s a nice room,” said Trisha.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s going to be great,” said Haruhi. When an elevator arrived, they got on while she hit the penthouse suite.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Raphael after noticing the floor Haruhi pushed.

“Wait, you found the key to the Presidential Suite at the Grandeur City Katalina?” asked Trisha.

“Is that where we are? I didn’t know this was the Katalina Hotel. How do you know about it?” asked Raphael.

“I saw the Presidential Suite featured on the travel channel once. It was a show about the most luxurious hotel suites on Virgo Tetra,” said Trisha.

“Nice. What number was this one?” asked Haruhi.

“I think it was around eight or nine, but it’s still an amazing suite,” said Trisha.

Once the elevator arrived at the top of the building, they got off and entered a small hallway leading to the Presidential Suite, which took up the entire top floor. Haruhi got out the keycard and slipped it into the card slot, waiting before the light turned green. Once it registered, she pulled it out and opened the door, revealing the luxurious suite for their enjoyment. They all smiled ear to ear and entered, heading to the kitchen to drop off the bags of food. Before they sat down to eat, they toured the suite, noticing the exquisite furniture, electronic amenities, elegant bathrooms, and lavish bedroom. When they were done roaming about, they went back to eat at the kitchen.

“What have we got here?” asked Haruhi.

“I picked up lots of stuff. Chips. Poptarts. Microwaveable dinner items,” said Raphael.

“I got us some drinks. A few water bottles, juice bottles, and some random sodas,” said Trisha.

They brought everything to the dinner table and picked whatever they wanted to eat from the bags. After they ate, Trisha took another shower, taking her time this time to enjoy it while Raphael and Haruhi chilled in front of the TV. The usual programming was playing on the planetary channels, but all the local channels were still playing the emergency broadcast system. Once Trisha was done, forty minutes later, Raphael and Haruhi took turns showering. Later, they planned the sleeping arrangements when everyone was cleaned up.

“Okay, it’s almost time for lights out. How are we dividing up the sleeping areas?” asked Raphael.

“Well, I want the master bedroom,” said Trisha.

“What? What makes you think you can have the master bedroom?” asked Haruhi, furrowing her eyebrow.

“Because I’m a lady and the oldest of the group, so I get to decide where I sleep. Plus, you kids are used to sleeping on stuff other than normal beds, right? You being in the military and all,” said Trisha.

“That is so ignorant of you,” said Haruhi.

“It’s fine, Haruhi. We have to sleep out here to provide security,” said Raphael.

“Are you kidding me? That’s your reasoning for letting her have the nice bed? Where are we going to sleep out here?” asked Haruhi.

“The couch folds out into a bed, so I can sleep there. If you want, you can have the other bedroom,” said Raphael.

“There’s another bedroom?” asked Haruhi.

“Yeah, on the other side of the suite. It should have more or less the same stuff as the master bedroom,” said Raphael.

“Oh, cool. I didn’t see that,” said Haruhi.

“So is everyone okay? Can we get some sleep now?” asked Raphael.

“Sounds fine to me. Now, if you would excuse me, I’m going to hit the hay. Goodnight, you two,” said Trisha before making her way into the master bedroom and closing the door.

“All right, Haruhi. I’m going to get some sleep,” said Raphael as he began getting his couch bed set up.

“Oh, okay. See you in the morning,” said Haruhi before making her way to her room.

When his bed was ready, Raphael turned off the lights and got comfortable on the couch. He made sure his vest and gear were nearby, keeping them at arm’s reach. He also liked what Carolyn instituted back at Susan’s house, so he kept his boots on as did Haruhi. Trisha wouldn’t have any of it and took her shoes off to get more comfortable in bed. Raphael sighed as he rested his head on his pillow.

“Ah, I think we’ll be okay. I wonder who else is out there,” said Raphael. He was about to shut his eyes until he heard footsteps next to his makeshift bed. He tensed up as he tried to see through the dark. Before he could get out of bed to turn on the lights, someone lifted the sheets and got onto the couch along with him.

“Got room for two?” asked Haruhi as she scooted under the covers next to him.

“Haruhi, what are you doing here?” asked Raphael as he sat up on the couch bed.

“I can’t sleep in that room all by myself. I don’t feel safe. It’d be more comfortable and I’d feel more at ease if there’s someone else in the room with me, and I’d rather not sleep with Trisha,” said Haruhi as she got situated in her spot, lying beside Raphael.

“Um, okay, but isn’t this a bit… weird?” asked Raphael as he laid back down on the bed, looking to Haruhi.

“Please, we already slept together once. Grow up already. Besides, I’m not interested in guys, remember?” said Haruhi with her back facing him.

“I guess,” said Raphael as he turned his back towards her, accidentally swishing his tail over her. Haruhi was about to push it off, but his tail reminded her of Susan’s. She too would also lay her tail over her, so Haruhi let it lay there. She smiled and closed her eyes for the night, trying to get some sleep.


	7. End of the Road

“In latest news, the quarantine of Grandeur City still remains in effect as military forces continue to hold back the infection and prevent it from spreading. Several Army and Air Force units have been called in to aid in the effort to contain the outbreak. In other news…”

Haruhi’s ears twitched at the sound of the news coming from the TV nearby. She opened her eyes to see Raphael’s face right in front of hers. At the same time, she realized that they were in each other’s arms for some reason. “Urgh, get away from me!” she said, pushing him away and sitting up.

“Huh, what?” asked Raphael after waking up, rubbing his eyes as he sat up as well.

“You had your arms around me!” said Haruhi.

“I did? Well, sorry about that. I didn’t know I was doing it,” said Raphael.

“Good morning, you two,” said Trisha from the couch next to theirs.

“You’re up early,” said Raphael after a long yawn.

“Early? It’s, like… nine thirty,” said Trisha as she checked her watch.

“Nine thirty already? Dang. I must’ve forgotten to set my alarm before turning in,” said Raphael.

“I thought you must’ve needed the sleep, so I didn’t bother to wake you guys up,” said Trisha.

“When did you get up?” asked Haruhi.

“I got up at eight, my usual time. I took a nice, relaxing bath after I woke up. Then I roamed about the suite some more. Then I had breakfast and made coffee,” said Trisha.

“Another bath? Typical,” said Haruhi.

“By the way, are you two… together?” asked Trisha.

“Together? Us!? No way. What makes you say that?” asked Haruhi.

“Well, the obvious reason is that I found you two sleeping together out here when I came out. But as I was making coffee, you two started talking in your sleep. You called her Amy, and you called him Susan. Wait. Are you… a lesbian?” asked Trisha.

“What!? Me!? I mean, I guess. You know what? Just drop it,” said Haruhi.

“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it. I guess that answers my question then. You guys hungry? There’s still plenty of food left,” said Trisha.

“Yeah, let me wash up first,” said Raphael.

Once they were ready, Raphael and Haruhi sat down in the kitchen, sifting through the leftovers to find something to eat.

“Hey, is there any water left?” asked Haruhi.

“Um, sorry. I used the last of it making coffee. We have some juice and soda left if you want,” said Trisha.

“No thanks, I want some water,” said Haruhi.

“I think I have a bottle in my backpack. I’ll get it,” said Raphael.

“Don’t worry. I got it,” said Haruhi, getting up from her seat.

“No. I’ve got it,” said Raphael as he was about to get up.

“Chill, man. Geez. I got it,” said Haruhi before taking his bag and unzipping it. “Hey! Raph, what the heck is this!?”

“Um, what?” asked Raphael, smiling nervously.

Haruhi glared at Raphael and emptied the bag on the table. “You took the loot from those pricks!?” she asked.

Raphael shrugged. “What? It would have been such a waste to just leave it all there. It was already conveniently gathered for me, so I just brought it along. Who knows? It might come in handy later,” he said.

“For what!?” asked Haruhi as she dropped the bag on the table.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m the one carrying it, so don’t mind your petty, little head about my treasure,” said Raphael.

“Don’t you have a couple bottles in your pack, Haruhi?” asked Trisha as she took Haruhi’s bag and opening it up.

“Hey, don’t touch that!” said Haruhi, grabbing a hold of the bag. As she did, she accidentally pried it open and spilled its contents onto the floor. Of the items that were scattered on the ground, several twenty-credit and other denomination bills were among them.

“And you’re getting on my case for taking money? Look at you! Even after what happened yesterday, you still stole money from somewhere. Where did you get that anyway?” asked Raphael.

“What are you talking about? This isn’t my bag. It’s Trish’s!” said Haruhi.

“No it’s not. Mine is over there,” said Trisha, pointing to her backpack across the kitchen.

“Fine. It’s my bag. And I got it when we were in that bath shop,” said Haruhi.

“Why, Haruhi?” asked Raphael.

“I just can’t help it,” said Haruhi.

“But I thought you didn’t want to loot and steal anymore?” asked Raphael.

“I got over it. It’s like an obsession of mine all of a sudden. I can’t help it, especially after how easy it all is now,” said Haruhi.

“Well, I guess you didn’t have any water after all,” said Trisha, shying away from the scene.

“Yeah, no kidding,” said Haruhi, taking her bag back and filing it with the items on the floor.

Suddenly, they heard a large crashing sound coming from the master bedroom.

“What was that!?” asked Trisha.

“It sounded like a window breaking,” said Raphael, putting down his bag and picking up his putter.

Haruhi dropped what she was doing as well and quickly retrieved her bat. She and Raphael slowly began inching their way to the door while Trisha stayed behind in the kitchen. Haruhi gave Raphael the signal to cover her as she approached the door. He nodded without making a sound and prepared himself. Haruhi gripped her bat as she stood just outside the door. She was shaking in her boots, but gathered enough courage to place her head against the door, listening to whatever was happening on the other side.

“I hear something inside. It sounds like-,” said Haruhi, but before she could finish whispering, the door was broken down and knocked her out, causing her fall to the ground.

“Haruhi!” said Raphael as he saw her on the ground.

Raphael was about to come to Haruhi’s aid, but he froze at the sight of something in his path. One of the creatures from the day before, the same creature that chased them into the apartment building, was standing in the doorway looking right at him as it flashed its teeth. Before he could move, the creature leapt at him, pinning him to the floor. He had just enough time to bring the putter up, keeping the creature just barely out of biting reach.

“Trisha, run! Get out of here!” said Raphael, still fighting with the creature on top of him.

“I- I can’t M- My legs won’t move!” said Trisha, trembling at the sight of the ferocious creature.

“Just go!” said Raphael. A few moments later, he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen and thought another creature was coming for him. He closed his eyes and was about to let the creature kill him, but the sound of a smack followed by the creature’s silence brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes and saw the creature motionless, and as he looked around, he saw Trisha standing next to him with her bat resting on the creature’s head. “What did you do?” he asked.

“I took my bat, and with all my strength, brought it down on its head,” said Trisha.

“Wow… thanks,” said Raphael.

“Yeah, well, I visit the gym once in a while,” said Trisha, flexing her skinny arms with a smug grin.

“Okay, so can you help me get this thing off?” asked Raphael.

“Oh, sure,” said Trisha as she helped pushed the creature off of Raphael.

“Thanks. How come you didn’t try escaping?” asked Raphael, wiping the creature’s spit from his uniform.

“I figured I wouldn’t last very long without you two, so it was either we all go, or none of us do,” said Trisha.

“Well, thanks again,” said Raphael before making his way over to Haruhi.

Trisha edgily walked around the creature and followed Raphael. “Is she all right?” she asked.

Raphael knelt down and checked for breathing. “She’s fine, just knocked out,” he said. He moved the debris off her and tried to wake her up. “Hey, Haruhi, you okay?” he asked, trying to shake her awake.

“Huh, wha?” asked Haruhi after coming to.

“We got attacked by one of those creatures from earlier,” said Raphael, moving out of the way so she could see it. “It burst down the door and knocked you out.”

“Wow. How did you kill it?” asked Haruhi as she sat up.

“Actually, I didn’t do anything. Trisha killed it and saved me, and you as well,” said Raphael.

“Trisha took it out!?” asked Haruhi.

“Yeah. Got to use this thing after all,” said Trisha, patting her cricket bat.

“At least you’re good for something. Thanks,” said Haruhi after getting back to her feet with Raphael’s help.

“All right. You two, gather your things. We’re leaving,” said Raphael, making his way back to the kitchen. Haruhi and Trisha followed after him.

“What? Why?” asked Trisha.

“This place isn’t exactly safe now, is it?” said Raphael, looking over at the creature.

“What do you mean ‘not safe’? All we have to do is push the creature out the window it came in, clean up the glass, and there you go. Back to normal,” said Haruhi.

“If that thing found us, I’m sure others can as well,” said Raphael.

“What if that’s the last one, huh? I like it here. What do we do once we leave? Ever think of that?” asked Haruhi.

“We’ll make it up as we go, but I don’t feel safe here. It’s too exposed,” said Raphael.

Suddenly, they heard a primal howl bellow throughout the penthouse. They all turned to the living room with horror and saw the creature still alive, glaring at them and growling. Before it could jump at them again, Raphael drew his pistol and unloaded the entire clip into the creature, landing most of his hits in the head. He stood there, panting and holding his spent pistol in his hand as he continued to point it at the creature. It lay dead on the floor before him, bleeding out on the carpet from its gunshot wounds. Trisha was cowering behind the counter while Haruhi stood next to him, frozen with fear. He brought himself around and dropped his empty magazine, slipping in his last one into his pistol.

“That’s why it’s not safe. And I’m pretty sure it just called its buddies to come and help it out. I’m thinking we need to leave before they get here because I’m on my last mag,” said Raphael.

Haruhi gave him a nod and quickly went about gathering her things and packing her bag. Trisha did the same and hurried to gather her supplies. Raphael got his bag together and put on his vest and other gear. They all trembled with fright as they heard similar howls in the distance. Once they were ready, they hurried to the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor.

“What are we going to do?” asked Trisha.

“I’m working on it,” said Raphael, frantically trying to come up with a plan.

“We should stock up on supplies before leaving. Who knows when we might come across food or water again,” said Haruhi.

“Good call. We’ll raid the mini-mart then find somewhere else to hide out,” said Raphael. They all nodded and prepared to depart. Once the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by a zombie right in front of them.

“A zombie!? When did they get in here?” asked Raphael, taking his putter and whacking the zombie in the head. They hurried to the mini-mart and saw zombies around the front lobby.

“I guess we’re not going that way,” said Trisha.

“Entrance to the mall is also no good,” said Haruhi.

“Shoot. Let’s just get the supplies first,” said Raphael as he hurried into the mart. They each filled the empty space of their bags with non-perishable food items and water bottles. Once they were ready, they met at the front of the mart to make their next move.

“Now what?” asked Haruhi as she watched the zombies shamble around in the distance.

“We could try driving out of here,” said Trisha.

“How exactly do you plan on accomplishing that?” asked Raphael.

“The hotel has a valet service. I’m pretty sure the cars are in the basement parking garage,” said Trisha.

“What about the keys? Unless you know how to hot-wire the things?” asked Haruhi.

“It’s valet. They have the keys somewhere down there. Probably in an office or something downstairs,” said Trisha.

“It’s better than nothing. C’mon, back to the elevators,” said Raphael. The three of them hurried back to the elevators and took it down to the parking garage. When they got out, they searched around inside the valet office for the car keys.

“Find anything good?” asked Haruhi as she skimmed through all the sets of keys on the wall rack.

“I can’t tell what kind of car the keys belong to,” said Raphael.

“Found one!” said Trisha, holding up a set of keys.

“What kind of car does that go to?” asked Haruhi.

“I don’t know, but the car is parked close by. I think it’s a sedan,” said Trisha.

“That will do. Anything will work as long as it can get us out of here,” said Raphael.

Trisha took the keys and went back outside with Raphael and Amy. She kept pressing the electronic lock button until one of the vehicles responded with a beep. It was in fact a sedan, a luxurious, high-end one. Trisha hurried into the driver’s seat while Raphael and Haruhi got into the back.

“Let’s hope this works,” said Trisha, inserting the key into the ignition. They all crossed their fingers as she turned the key, bringing the vehicle to life.

“You’re a genius,” said Haruhi, relieved that their plan was following through.

“Why thank you. You know, one of you could’ve sat up here with me,” said Trisha.

“Just drive,” said Raphael as he looked through the windows to make sure they were clear. Trisha gave him a nod and backed the car out of its spot before driving towards the exit.

“So what do we do once we’re out of here?” asked Haruhi.

“We can try looking for a military checkpoint, or something. Maybe we can head back to the base and look for survivors,” said Raphael.

“And run into Blackwatch again? No thanks,” said Haruhi.

“Who’s Blackwatch?” asked Trisha.

“They’re some secret military organization that was sent in to handle this mess, but they’re not doing a very good job of it,” said Haruhi.

Once they were back on the street again, there were large amounts of zombies roaming the roads.

“Where did they all come from!?” asked Trisha.

“Can you drive around them?” asked Raphael.

“I can try,” said Trisha.

“Do it. We need to find another place to stay,” said Raphael.

Trisha swallowed any doubts she had and gave him a nod. She gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas, moving onto the street.

“Gah! Can you not hit the zombies, please!?” asked Haruhi.

“There’s too many of them! I’m doing the best I can!” said Trisha. The zombies she was hitting were denting the front of the car and some were even putting cracks in the windshield.

“For goodness’ sake! If you keep this up, the car isn’t going to last much longer!” said Haruhi.

Trisha got fed up with Haruhi’s complaining and turned around to confront her. “Do you want to drive!? Because I will stop this car, missy!” she said.

“Trish, watch the road!” said Raphael.

As Trisha turned around to face the road, she hit a zombie dead on, completely smashing the windshield as the car collided with the body. “Shoot! I can’t see!” she said, steering blindly as she tried to find a clear patch of glass to look through. “What is that!? A barrier!” She stepped on the brakes and turned the wheel, hitting several zombies until the car skidded to a stop against the military barricade. Raphael and Haruhi gripped the sides of the vehicle as they were jerked across their seats.

“I take it all back. You’re not a genius. You’re a menace,” said Haruhi, unbuckling her seatbelt.

“Just shut up, okay? I did my best,” said Trisha while trying to start the car back up. The vehicle’s ignition system was attracting all the surrounding zombies to them.

“Forget it, Trish. We need to move or else we’ll be surrounded,” said Raphael. He grabbed his putter and backpack before opening the car door. He looked around and secured the area near them. Haruhi followed suit as did Trisha, moving next to him with their weapons in hand.

“If we die here, I blame Ms. Ditz,” said Haruhi while looking the zombie horde over.

“We’re not going to die here,” said Raphael. He took his putter and charged forward, striking the first foe in front of him. “C’mon! I see a store across the street!”

“Let’s get a move on, Trish. You don’t want to die, do you?” asked Haruhi as she followed close behind Raphael.

Trisha grimaced and took her bat, following after them. As they advanced more towards the store, the zombie density increased. They swung their weapons and made it to the door, saving the ammunition in their pistols for emergencies.

“Hurry, everyone inside!” said Raphael as he approached the entrance. As he tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge.

“C’mon, Raph! I can’t hold them off forever!” said Haruhi, taking down another zombie.

“The door’s locked! I can’t get in!” said Raphael, trying to pull it open. He tried kicking it open and used his putter to try and pry it loose, but to no avail. “It’s no use. It won’t open,” he said, turning around to Haruhi.

“Are you freakin’ kidding me!?” asked Haruhi after hitting another zombie.

Raphael quickly scanned the area to look for another place to go. Behind the concrete barriers blocking the street, there was a meshwire fence that created a wall for the military checkpoint there. A few meters from where they crashed, across the median, there was a gate leading to the other side of the fence, which was clear of zombies.

“Follow me!” said Raphael, running back onto the street.

Having no other alternative, Haruhi and Trisha followed, trusting that he was making the right decision. As they fought their way back across the avenue, more zombies filled their side of the street. Halfway there, they were forced to stop in the middle of street on the median. There were zombies in front of them, behind, and on all sides.

“This is getting us nowhere, Raph! There’s too many of them!” said Haruhi, overwhelmed at the sight of the zombie horde around them. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot from behind her. “Raph, what are you doing!? You’re going to attract more of them!”

“We’re almost there! If we don’t use everything we’ve got, we’re not going to make it,” said Raphael, firing off two more rounds using his pistol.

Haruhi looked at him then back to the zombies. “Trish, here, take my bat,” she said handing over her melee weapon.

Once Trisha took her bat, Haruhi drew her sidearm and began shooting as well. She and Raphael took down the zombies closest to them, clearing path but expending most of their ammunition. During the short distance to the gate, Raphael fired off the last of his rounds.

“Hey, I hope this works, because I’m running low here,” said Haruhi as she covered Raphael and Trisha.

Raphael hurried over to the gate and tried pushing and pulling it open. His heart sank as he noticed the reinforced lock keeping the gate closed. “Hey, Haruhi, how much ammo do you have left?” he asked.

“None anymore. Why?” asked Haruhi, firing off her last round. She looked over at Raphael who moved out of the way to let her see the lock. “Is that a lock?”

“Yes, yes it is,” said Raphael.

“Can you break it off?” asked Haruhi.

“It’s reinforced, so the only way to remove it is if we shot it off, but…,” said Raphael.

“I see,” said Haruhi, sighing as she stared at the ground.

Trisha looked from Haruhi to Raphael then back to her. “What does that mean!? Are we stuck here!? She asked.

“Yeah. We’re screwed. So if you have anything you want to say or do before you die a slow, gruesome death, get it out now,” said Haruhi, holstering her empty pistol.

They stood for a moment, thinking about the predicament they were in. Out of nowhere, Raphael reached up and grabbed Trisha’s breast, making a honking sound.

“Raph, you’re giving up too!?” asked Trisha.

“Well, the gate is locked, the store is closed, the car is dead, and there is a horde of zombies blocking our only avenue of escape. I’m sorry, Trish,” said Raphael.

“I don’t know about you two, but I’m not dying without a fight,” said Haruhi, taking her bat back from Trisha.

Haruhi stretched out and prepared to fight the zombies that were slowly moving in on their position. Trisha completely broke down in tears and slumped to the ground. Raphael patted her on the shoulder and took up position next to Haruhi.

“It seems like our luck has run out. Anything you want to get off your chest before they get here?” asked Raphael.

“Actually, there is one thing I wanted to do before we go out swinging,” said Haruhi.

“Only one thing?” asked Raphael.

“Well, there’s a lot of stuff I wanted to do, but only one of them I can actually get done here and now,” said Haruhi.

“And what would that be?” asked Raphael, keeping vigilant as the zombies got within ten meters of them.

“This may sound weird, but I’ve always wanted to kiss a boy,” said Haruhi.

“What? But that’s what ‘normal’ girls do all the time. Why do you want to do that?” asked Raphael.

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not normal,” said Haruhi before kissing Raphael on the lips. It only lasted a few seconds, and after they separated, she prepared to charge. “Huh, that wasn’t bad at all. See you on the other side.” She gave him a wink and sprinted headlong into the horde as she began her last stand.

Raphael gave Haruhi a smile and joined her in battle. The two of them fought together while Trisha continued to cower behind them, the zombies too preoccupied with Raphael and Haruhi to notice her.

“How are you doing!?” asked Raphael as he continued to hold his own against the undead.

“I’m doing great! I’ve never felt this way before! My heart’s pounding! The adrenaline’s pumping! We might actually survive this!” said Haruhi.

“Don’t get cocky. There’s still a bunch of them coming. Hey, Haruhi! Are you all right!?” asked Raphael as he saw a zombie pull Haruhi to the ground.

“Raph, help me!” said Haruhi while keeping the zombie at bay with her bat.

Raphael tried to rush over to Haruhi, but there were too many zombies between him and her. “Haruhi!” he said.

“Raph!” said Haruhi. Suddenly, a spray of blood splattered across her face as the zombie on her ceased moving.


End file.
